The Maple Leafs are on the clock with Auston Matthews

John Chayka equated his first few weeks as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs to “trying to catch a moving train,” but even that might have been selling his challenge short.This looks a lot more like “Mission: Impossible.”Chayka’s surprising second chance in the NHL comes from an ownership group that has no interest in a rebuild and expects him to immediately rebound an aging 28th-place team back into its competitive window. This, while inheriting a cupboard woefully short on assets, in a year where NHL free agency leaves a lot to be desired, and at a moment where the future of franchise player Auston Matthews remains very much in question.Advertisement