Could the Golden Knights Try to Reunite Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner?

Auston Matthews had the opportunity to reinforce his full commitment to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Thursday’s locker cleanout day, but instead, he left the door open for anything.

That’s understandable given all of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Maple Leafs, though what it also does is fuel the rumors about his potential departure as early as this summer. Chatter around a Matthews trade had already begun before his end-of-season comments—or lack thereof—and after them, it has only grown louder and will continue to do so.

Almost every other team in the league could make sense as a landing spot for the two-time 60-goal scorer, and one that generated some buzz on Thursday was the idea of a reunion with Mitch Marner in Vegas. Fan account KnightsMuse floated a return package that the Golden Knights could attempt to acquire Matthews with on X (formerly Twitter).

The 28-year-old Matthews will be entering year three of the four-year, $53 million extension he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2023 next season. He’s coming off a career-low 53-point (27 goals, 26 assists) 2025–26 regular season.

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in Vegas?

While the idea of Matthews and Marner teaming up again—this time in Vegas—is fascinating, the proposed trade feels unlikely to get it done. Despite the down and injury-riddled campaign, Matthews’ value is still extremely high, and unless he truly forces his way to Sin City, Toronto will find better offers elsewhere.

Another factor that has to be taken into account is salary cap space. Should Alex Pietrangelo and William Karlsson remain on LTIR, fitting Matthews’ $13.25 million cap hit is something they might be able to stomach. If one of them were to get healthy and come off, however, it would become an even tighter squeeze for Kelly McCrimmon and company to navigate.

All of that being said, you can never rule the Golden Knights out when it comes to landing a superstar player. They’ve shown the hockey world that year after year. Pair that with Matthews’ connections not only to Marner, but also to Team USA teammates Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin, and they would absolutely be a team to watch if his time with the Maple Leafs does, in fact, come to an end.

Next: Maple Leafs Refuse to Blame Loss of Mitch Marner for Down Year