Auston Matthews has made his decision.

Since the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season came to an ugly end for the Toronto Maple Leafs, there has been a ton of speculation regarding the future of Auston Matthews.

Matthews himself fueled much of that speculation when he admitted that he was uncertain about the future when speaking to the media during his end of season media availability.

"I mean, I can't predict the future," said Matthews at the time.

That has in turn led to all kinds of trade speculation, I even looked at 3 teams that could realistically pull off an Auston Matthews trade over the weekend, but it now sounds like much of the speculation around Matthews has been way overblown.

On Monday morning, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared his insight into the Matthews situation, revealing that Matthews, newly appointed general manager John Chayka, and senior adviser Mats Sundin had all sat down to speak for the first time over a zoom call.

"I understand at some point last week there was a lengthy zoom call," revealed Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast. "It was sort of their first in depth conversation."

Friedman even shared some insider details regarding what was discussed in that meeting, revealing that Chayka and Sundin effectively laid out their plan for the future.

"I think it was the first time they could really have a conversation about what they are thinking, what their plan is, what their vision is, and how they are going to do it," said Friedman.

It was enough to get them hired to the job in the first place and, judging by Friedman's comments, it sounds like Matthews liked what he heard as well.

"There's still a lot that has to happen here but I heard it was a positive meeting," said Friedman. "I checked with as many people as I could and I was told that, right now, things are in a good place."

Perhaps an even better sign is the fact that there were no bumps in the road during that initial meeting.

"I was told there was nothing that raised any alarms, or any concerns, and right now things are in a good place between Matthews and the organization," said Friedman.

When pressed on whether or not Matthews would be back next season, Friedman stopped short of making a definitive statement but strongly hinted at the fact that Matthews will indeed be back with the Maple Leafs next season.

"I think the best way to put it is that he has indicated that he wants to win in Toronto," said Friedman. "I believe that is the message he has reiterated and I believe that is what the organization is going with."

A terrific update for the Maple Leafs to be sure.