If Matthews doesn't want to resign, he either tests free agency the following year or he forces a trade (since he has a NMC) to a particular location(s). They won't get the 1st OV pick + Drysdale as Dubas would have limited options and possibly only 1. If he's asking to be traded specifically to Anaheim, it's probably to play with Bedard, Zegras, and Drysdale

Edit: The only thing that the Leafs could do is 1) ask him if he wants to be traded (ideally a sign & trade) or 2) try to convince him in the next off-season to sign rather than test FA.

Matthews isn't returning 1st OA in this draft let alone +

That's a hot take. Burning hot.

If Toronto can't convince Matthews to resign, I struggle to understand how Anaheim would get him to.

He is currently THE STAR in the biggest market in all of hockey, why does he decide to go to a backwoods outfit like Anaheim, in the shadow of a place he might actually want to go in Los Angeles?

In the above scenario, it's highly unlikely unless Bedard pulls a Lindros too. I don't see him doing that to Anaheim (maybe Arizona) unless he hates McTavish.

I don't think it's completely insane but the Ducks need to get over paid a ridiculous amount to let go of a potential franchise player that they have to watch play in Toronto for at least 5-7 years.

Matthew's is a great start but not nearly enough.

Doesn't matter anyway, Arizona gets Bedard, a fancy new arena and Matthew's goes home.

Lol no it's not. Not ever 1st OA pick works out but this is a draft on par with the Matthews/McDavid drafts at the top end. In no world is a tanking team interested in 1 year of Matthews over 8+ years of a Matthews caliber player. Even if Bedard only reached Hughes caliber thats still an obvious no

Maybe, he would want to be close to LA but not in the spotlight lol. If Matthews waives for Anaheim though, and doesn't sign with them, I think he will have a very interesting FA especially with costing ANA the 1st OV pick.

The assumption though is that it's a sign and trade (14mx8) which is a fair assumption to make because Matthews won't be traded anywhere without his approval. I think Anaheim would prefer those ELCs though, so unless Bedard say no to signing his ELC too, it's not happening. In no circumstance does Anaheim add Drysdale.

Thats not an assumption because they dont happen in the NHL. It would be a trade and sign.

Maybe Toronto can get a return like the Nieuwendyk deal but absolutely not the guaranteed 1st OA pick

Besides Matthews can't legally sign an extension until like a week after the draft anyways

I also can't see any team ever moving the 1OA pick for a rental. Lockup contract comes in place or it doesn't happen.

If it did, I would fire every staff member we had and sell the franchise to Houston, then raze Honda center to the ground.

Tkachuk was a sign and trade, but you are right that it has to be a trade and sign due to the timeline. So, it would be risky, but at the same time it would be strange that Matthews allows a trade to ANA but doesn't sign. Imagine when Dubas asks him to waive his NMC, he tells Dubas all teary-eyed "See you next year in UFA Dubas".

I wonder if Bedard would refuse to sign somewhere to allow for something like this to happen.

Tkachuk was a very special case. Due to being an RFA there was only 1 team in the league he could sign an 8 year extension with.

A sign and trade has to have incentive for the receiving team if both teams can offer 8 year extensions them the selling team has no advantage in signing them as part of the deal

I'm not sure where this "Bedard will refuse to sign in Anaheim" narrative is coming from. We have his buddies from team Canada juniors in McTavish and Zellweger, as well as Zegras/Drysdale. This season looks bad, but there's an incredibly bright future here.

It's not like Vancouver is falling far enough to draft him.

Leafs fans are sumpthin else

It's not a narrative but the OP is suggesting that in the scenario Matthews doesn't want to re-sign in Toronto. So, I don't see why any GM would be silly to give up Bedard for a guy who has full-trade protection and is a UFA (so Toronto would have little to no leverage) unless Bedard too was saying I don't want to sign here. I don't think he would even do that if he was drafted by Arizona.

Someone else made mention of it a few days ago being wary that Bedard might try to Eric Lindross himself. I thought the two may have been connected, but is appears to have been idle speculation.

Yeah, Tkachuk's was definitely a special case and I think it's the only actual sign and trade that happened in the NHL. However, it's possible that a different case does arise.

The incentive for having a Matthews sign and trade would be that the acquiring team doesn't lose their investment in Matthews with him having 1-year and full trade protection. Any team that he's willing to waive for probably wouldn't agree to a sign-and-trade, since it returns leverage to the Leafs. Instead, they would offer a package that they wouldn't be devastated losing for 1-year of Matthews. Then try to resign him after the fact.

Ah I see. I wouldn't see why, Bedard would do that if he was drafted by Anaheim and if he were to threaten it before the draft they would just select Fantilli. I'm guessing if he were to do that it would be to force his way to either Vancouver or Anaheim via trade or dropping in the draft.

Well the acquiring team would have been given negotiating rights prior to the trade. Nearly every relevant UFA trade is like that. I think Eichel was the rare case where teams weren't allowed to talk to the player and agent beforehand for a while (and that wasn't even extension related)

Yeah, that happens too, not always though (since it could affect negotiations which is probably why Adams didn't allow it in the Eichel case even though it wasn't extension related). I think most of the time when it does happen it's usually just seeing if there is a mutual interest, the ballpark, and/or when an extension could happen rather than a handshake agreement. Perhaps you do, but I personally don't recall a trade and sign that happened as fast as the Lindholm one, if we aren't counting trading for "signing rights".

Adams allowed it eventually but he blocked it to weed out non serious buyers. It's very rare that a notable pending UFA is traded without the other team having permission to talk to them

It depends I guess on the caliber of the player if they are being brought in when they are being shopped as a rental at the TDL or if it's an off-season move.

Something I overlooked, is that probably one of the main reasons why sign-and-trades don't happen often in NHL is the player's side and not just the other team not wanting to pay more.

Because; ‘Merica.

I'd rather have a 1 million dollar Connor Bedard than a 14 million dollar Auston Matthews