Pierre LeBrun's latest Matthews and McDavid report changes everything
Pierre Lebrun lit a fuse Thursday morning, and it's pointed straight at Toronto and Edmonton.
The veteran NHL insider said Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid are most likely staying put for at least one more season. Neither will commit 100 percent to that.
Why the hesitation? Both franchises still have to hire a head coach. Lebrun called it a factor. He's being polite.
The Maple Leafs finished the regular season 32-36-14, good for 28th overall. A -46 goal differential. A seven-game losing streak to end the year.
That's the team Matthews is being asked to stay loyal to at 13.25 million per season. He just produced a 60-game stat line of 27 goals and 53 points with a -4 rating.
His last 10 games told the rest of the story. One goal. Six points. A -8 over those ten contests.
Stan Bowman's coaching search now controls McDavid's next contract decision
Edmonton's situation looks better on paper. The Oilers went 41-30-11, finished second in the Pacific, and posted a 6-2-2 run over their final 10 games.
But the head coach chair is empty, and GM Stan Bowman is the one filling it. McDavid is watching every move.
He posted 138 points in 82 games this season, including 90 assists. He also went through a 6-game postseason stretch where his team got bounced.
That eye test from Lebrun's tweet, a Hall of Fame insider openly saying two of the league's biggest stars won't fully commit to their teams, is the kind of quote that reshapes a summer.
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Draisaitl, locked in at 14 million, becomes the most expensive insurance policy in hockey if McDavid walks in 2027.
Toronto has bigger problems. Wrong coach hire and Matthews has every reason to test what 26th overall in goals against looks like from a different jersey.
This is the part where the front offices are supposed to deliver. Pick the wrong guy behind the bench and the franchise player makes the decision for them.
The clock started Thursday.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 27, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| K'Andre Miller | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| William Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Cole Caufield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Phillip Danault | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | - | - | |
| Jakub Dobes | - | - | - | |
| Noah Dobson | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||