In one of the most famous of all Shakespeare’s soliloquies, Hamlet speaks the following words: “To be or not be to be.” Hamlet faces the angst of a crisis and wonders what he should do. In two years, Auston Matthews will face a crisis. While it’s not the life and death question Hamlet faced, the question Matthews will face is “To Be Leaf or Not To Be Leaf.”

Obviously, we’re having some fun playing with the words of an old literary classic here; however, the question for Matthews and, secondarily for Maple Leafs’ fans, is real enough. In this post, we’ll explore what some of Matthews’ choices and options are for his future.

Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau Shocked the Calgary Flames, And … ?

To be transparent, we believe Matthews has become such a foundational player with the Maple Leafs that we can’t see him leaving. He might already be the best Maple Leafs’ player in the history of the franchise, and we don’t think that’s lost on him.

Still, that doesn’t mean that the Maple Leafs as an organization couldn’t face a similar experience as the Calgary Flames faced. It might be unlikely, but it’s not out of the question.

Ever since both Calgary Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk announced their desire to play in the United States, there has been a lot of speculation about American-born players being unwilling or hesitant to play in Canada.  

Should this duo of (now) ex-Flames exodus affect Maple Leafs’ fans whose speculation has led to concerns that, once Auston Matthews’ present contract expires in two seasons, he too would prefer to head South of the Border?