Amidst the disappointment of this Toronto Maple Leafs season, the question marks around Auston Matthews have begun to grow.

Over the past two years, there’s been a clear decline in his production. Some speculate he is still dealing with an injury suffered during training camp in 2024, but neither the team nor the player have said much on the matter this year. Now, Matthews is out for the season after suffering an MCL tear and undergoing surgery earlier this month.

On Thursday, retired newscaster and longtime Leafs fan Peter Mansbridge joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Leafs Morning Take. Speaking about Matthews, the former CBC host shared he has concerns himself about what the 28-year-old may have been playing through this season.

“It’s dogged us ever since his 69-goal year,” Mansbridge said. “Something’s not right there. Whether he doesn’t talk about it, whether the team doesn’t really realize what it is, whether they didn’t give him enough time off, I don’t know what it is. But now it’s boiled down to, is he even gonna stay? And if he’s not gonna stay, what are we gonna do about it?”

This season, Matthews set career-lows of 27 goals and 53 assists in 60 games played. It’s the first time he’s failed to finish as a point-per-game player since his rookie year.

Matthews currently has two seasons remaining on his contract. For now he seems happy in Toronto, but the situation with Quinn Hughes in Vancouver showed just how quickly things can change. And as Toronto works on a re-tool, it appears all options may be on the table. Regardless, Mansbridge shared he hopes Toronto is able to keep Matthews in town.

“I think it would be a shame if he didn’t stay,” Mansbridge continued. “I’m a Matthews fan, I’m not always there for the way he acts sometimes, the things he says and the way he says them. But I also know the kind of work he does in the city outside of the team. The kind of time he spends helping others, I’m a fan of all that. And that 69-goal season was something none of us will ever forget. That was special.”

Check out the full interview with Mansbridge here, and be sure to tune into Leafs Morning Take weekdays at 11am!