“I can’t accept $775,000” Auston Matthews explains why he wants to depart from the Toronto maple leafs…

Auston Matthews is currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs as a center and alternate captain. Originally from San Ramon, California, Matthews relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, as an infant. His passion for hockey developed after watching the local Phoenix Coyotes play, following a childhood involving both baseball and hockey. Matthews played for the ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League before being drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, winning a Swiss Cup title the same year.

In his NHL debut, Matthews made history by becoming the first player in modern NHL history to score four goals. His remarkable rookie season in 2016–17 saw him score 40 goals, setting a Maple Leafs rookie record and joining a select group of teenagers in league history to achieve this milestone. Matthews earned the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie that season. In the 2021–22 season, he set records for most goals in a single season by both an American-born player and a Maple Leaf, reaching the 60-goal mark for the first time. Matthews won the Rocket Richard Trophy for the second consecutive season, the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player, and the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player. Additionally, he has been selected as an All-Star representative for Toronto six times.