The latest on Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly of the Maple Leafs, Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins, and Matvei Michkov of the Flyers in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

WILL THE MAPLE LEAFS TRADE OR RETAIN MATTHEWS AND RIELLY?

SPORTSNET: Nick Kypreos recently examined what’s next for the Toronto Maple Leafs and team captain Auston Matthews.

Matthews has surfaced in the rumor mill amid reports claiming the 28-year-old superstar center isn’t sure if he’ll return to the Maple Leafs this fall. He’s under contract for two more seasons, and Kypreos noted that Matthew’s agent, Judd Moldaver, hasn’t spoken out against the rumors.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

Kypreos noted the Maple Leafs have yet to confirm if head coach Craig Berube will be back. He believes they’ll conduct due diligence on Matthews before committing to a coach. He also believes the Leafs must act quickly to confirm Matthews’ status. The longer Matthews remains silent on this matter, the louder the speculation becomes.

**UPDATE** The Maple Leafs fired Berube this morning. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Matthews likely wants to find out first what the Leafs’ plans are under their management. John Chayka, the Leafs’ new general manager, is expected to meet with his team captain soon.

If Matthews is on board with Chayka’s vision, he won’t be going anywhere. If he’s not, that could lead to a blockbuster trade this summer. For now, we have to wait.

TSN: During a May 11 appearance on “First Up with Korolnek and Colaiacovo”, NHL insider Darren Dreger said that Maple Leafs management is expected to meet with Morgan Rielly to discuss the possibility of the 32-year-old defenseman waiving his no-movement clause.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rielly said that he wanted to stay with the Maple Leafs and be part of their retooling process, but he also acknowledged the possibility of a new Leafs general manager asking him to waive his clause.

However, it might not be easy to move Rielly. He’s signed through 2029-30 with an average annual value of $7.5 million and has a full NMC through 2027-28. His production has declined, and he seems to have lost a step over the past couple of seasons.

PENGUINS COULD BRING BACK MALKIN, BUT MIGHT NOT SPEND TO THE CAP MAXIMUM

THE SCORE: Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said his club would love to bring back Evgeni Malkin next season. The 39-year-old forward completed his 20th season with the club and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Dubas cited Malkin’s resilience and ability to bounce back after a down year. He also indicated that the Penguins currently have no one in their prospect pipeline who can step up and replace the future Hall of Famer in their lineup for next season.

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW: Tim Benz reported Dubas hinted he might not spend to next season’s salary cap of $104 million.

The Penguins have over $42 million in cap space for next season, the highest among all NHL clubs. However, Dubas cautioned that he might not be spending as much as people think come July. He said that he didn’t want to burn through all that cap space and have nothing left in a year or two when better trade and free-agent options might become available.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The lack of quality talent in this summer’s UFA market could partly explain why Malkin might be back next season, and why Dubas is cautioning Penguins followers not to get their hopes up for some major additions this summer.

That doesn’t mean Dubas won’t be eyeing the trade market to see who’s available who might improve the Penguins. Instead of acquiring established NHL stars, it could be more affordable to acquire short-term options or younger players with potential. That might not be a bad thing, as he brought in Egor Chinakhov, Samuel Girard, Elmer Soderblom, and Arturs Silovs that way.

If Dubas goes the trade route, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now suggested the Penguins’ best trade chips are winger Rickard Rakell, prospects such as Tristan Broz, Owen Pickering, and Rutger McGroarty, and their 19 picks in the first three rounds of the next four NHL drafts.

FLYERS WON’T GIVE UP ON MICHKOV

DAILY FACEOFF: Anthony Di Marco weighed in on the speculation about Matvei Michkov’s future with the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 21-year-old winger had a difficult sophomore campaign, reporting to training camp out of shape, and at times having his playing time reduced or being benched by new head coach Rick Tocchet for his inconsistent play.

The Flyers aren’t in a hurry to run Michkov out of town. He remains a valuable part of their rebuild. Besides, trading him during a down year wouldn’t be the best asset management. Nevertheless, he’s no longer considered “untouchable”.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: William James of Philly Hockey Now noted that Michkov was in a positive mood while talking to reporters during his end-of-season media availability. He cited the youngster’s appreciation of the Flyers fans and his determination to improve.

We can’t fully dismiss the possibility of Michkov getting traded this summer if the Flyers receive an irresistible offer, such as an established first-line center. However, it’s more likely that he’ll return to the club next season in better shape and motivated to silence his critics.