The Leafs GM question is answered. Now it’s Auston Matthews’ turn

The Maple Leafs brought their new general manager into the fold. Now he has to address the elephant in the room.

There are several glaringly obvious moves Brad Treliving will have to make as he arrives in Toronto. With all due respect to head coach Sheldon Keefe’s future, Auston Matthews’s contract situation appears to be the most crucial item on his new boss’ list.

Not to overstate the obvious, but the Leafs and their new GM need a new contract commitment from Matthews, like, yesterday. While they can’t officially sign him to an extension until July 1, people surrounding Treliving are nervous about getting a major commitment from the team’s first overall draft pick in 2016 and first NHL MVP since 1955.

Getting a commitment without the words “my intention” would help calm the waters.

“My intention is to be here,” Matthews said a couple of weeks ago as the Leafs conducted exit interviews and media availabilities following the end of their season. “I think I’ve reciprocated that before, how much I enjoy playing here and what it means to me and the organization, my teammates and how much I just enjoy being here.”

Welcome to Toronto, Brad. Before you fully unpack, get us some reassurance that our franchise player is not going anywhere.

And who better to get it than Treliving?

It was just under a year ago the former Flames GM handled a similar situation with Matthew Tkachuk, his star winger at the time who had zero intention of signing a long-term deal in Calgary. It led to a flurry of media activity that topped off with Treliving’s blockbuster trade with the Florida Panthers that saw Tkachuk get moved for Jonathan Huberdeau and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar.

What Treliving was able to get in the process was an honest answer. With Tkachuk coming clean on his intention to not re-sign a year early, the Flames had enough time to pivot. And say what you will about the trade one year later — what he got in return under managerial duress was seen as a huge victory at the time.

What Tkachuk also did, perhaps unintentionally, was set a precedent for other superstars who envision simply fading off into the sunset the day after their contract expires. Tkachuk made that boldly transparent decision last July; Treliving at least has somewhat of a head start in Toronto if he can get Matthews to be as truthful and honest as Tkachuk.

In previous years it was actually really easy to avoid such an abrupt confrontation between player and club a year out of their contract by simply doing and saying all the right things publicly. The last two to pull it off magnificently were John Tavares and Johnny Gaudreau.

If we look back on Tavares’s final year in Long Island he was asked in January 2018 what his priority was as a pending free agent. Tavares said, “I want to stay on Long Island … I haven’t thought about being anywhere except with the Islanders.”

How about the drum Johnny Hockey was pounding prior to his leaving the Flames for Columbus: “Calgary has been a second home to me,” he said. “I love playing there. I love my teammates there. I love the city. The fans are awesome. It’s a team that I could see myself playing for for the remainder of my career, and I’ve always said that.”

Matthews hasn’t exactly been the most candid athlete to grace Toronto. Never one to wear his heart on his sleeve, the 25-year-old remains a tough read for fans and media alike.

When Tkachuk decided to come clean roughly a year out of his expiring contract it ended up being a stroke of genius for a number of reasons. One, he did not leave his team and fan base with an empty cupboard upon his departure and was able to leave with the respect and admiration of Calgary by giving them a better set of cards with which to trade.

The second benefit of working with Calgary early was he was able to check every box off on his wish list for a destination.

It led him back to his home country, a larger contract, more anonymity, warmer weather, no state tax and now possibly four wins away from a Stanley Cup ring.

Treliving will quickly need to understand if Matthews’s heart is still in it when it comes to playing in Canada. Where does the Arizona native stand on things like privacy, warmer weather and his preference of state or provincial tax? If Tkachuk could figure it out in his three years in Calgary, surely Matthews can after six in Toronto.

Treliving will barely have time to unpack before making calls to Matthews and his agent Judd Moldaver. He will have to ask Matthews the same tough question he asked Tkachuk: “Are you staying or are you going?”

Will Matthews answer with confidence and conviction? Or will he find reasons to stall?

Will he demand more money in a multi-layered, hard-salary-capped system that would hamper Treliving’s ability to provide quality pieces around him?

Or could he ask for more time simply to see where Treliving goes with his leadership skills?

Whatever the case, waiting past July 1 for answers only hurts a Leafs team already wounded from their second-round playoff loss to Florida and limits getting the most for Matthews if he plans on testing the free-agent market a year from now. Treliving knows all of this and it will feel like déjà vu.

The Leafs need answers now, and Treliving may just be the best guy to get them.

If Treliving does want Keefe to return as head coach of the Leafs, expect a contract extension to come with the announcement to avoid another Kyle Dubas situation. Letting the final year of a contract play out is a difficult task for any coach to command respect from his players who know about his lame duck contract status ... Don’t be surprised to hear veteran defenceman Mark Giordano contemplating retirement. He took some heavy hits during the final stretch of the season and his health obviously is at the forefront of his decision. Giordano has one year left on his contract that pays him $800K (U.S.). At age 39, his career earnings are at $62 million ... With Jason Spezza following Dubas out the door, there’s been buzz about another ex-NHLer joining the mix in Leafs management. Some have linked Shane Doan as a possibility to the Leafs, considering his ties to Treliving from their days together with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes ... Two top-calibre goalies who could be readily available by the NHL draft this June are Jeremy Swayman of Boston and Thatcher Demko of Vancouver. Unlike Demko, who has three years left, Swayman would need a new contract as a restricted free agent.

On my excitement for this Stanley Cup final: Both Vegas and Florida bring tremendous heart and a ferocious forecheck and absolutely deserve to be in the final. This one will be like watching Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier slug it out. Kids, ask a parent who those legends are.

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