Nick Kypreos: Why the Nikita Kucherov bombshell should give the Maple Leafs a wake-up call - Toronto Star

Auston Matthews has less than two seasons left on his contract. The Leafs need to treat that with urgency, writes Nick Kypreos.

Auston Matthews will be eligible to sign a contract extension with the Leafs in July.

Nick Kypreos is a former NHL player, Stanley Cup champion and current host of Sportsnet’s Real Kyper and Bourne radio show. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star and is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @RealKyper.

There’s a situation brewing in Tampa Bay that should be a wake-up call for the Maple Leafs.

Bombshell reports that two-time Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov has told the Lightning he won’t re-sign and has asked for a trade is not news to be taken lightly in Toronto. It should cause some real urgency in the MLSE boardroom.

With Auston Matthews’ contract expiring at the end of the 2027-28 season, the organization needs to know where the captain’s head is at, and they need to know now.

Matthews has always gotten what he wanted in contract negotiations. The franchise’s all-time leading scorer has earned that leverage and he’s used it effectively. The Leafs can only hope that when he becomes eligible to negotiate his third extension with the Leafs on July 1, 2027, the 29-year-old is as transparent as he’s been for the last 11 years. But considering what’s happened with a number of NHL superstars in the last year or so, the Leafs cannot afford to assume that will be the case.

The 18-year-old McKenna has been more of a third-liner than a first-liner, and that’s fine.