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By Tyler ErzbergerShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

It's been the best and worst week of Auston Matthews' professional career these past seven days.

Last Sunday, he was on cloud nine, celebrating with his United States of America teammates, winning the first Winter Olympics men's hockey gold medal for the country in 46 years.

As the team's captain, he was treated as a hero. He'd never have to ask for a beer again in the country. Matthews partied the next night in Miami at a nightclub before taking a quick detour to the White House on Tuesday.

After returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team he also captains, everything was flipped on its head. The team continued to get battered on the ice, with any chance of competing for a playoff spot dwindling by the day.

And then when he returned to Toronto proper to play in front of his hometown fans, he was emphatically booed.

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While Matthews most likely wasn't surprised at the reaction, seeing how he beat Canada in the gold medal game and the current state of the Maple Leafs, it was a sobering moment following the euphoria in Milan.

Following the boos, fans online began urging the former MVP to ask for a trade before next Friday's deadline.

Matthews, a free agent in two years, is still searching for his first Stanley Cup, and it's becoming more difficult to see that happen on a Toronto team that could be facing a rebuild.

Although numerous fans on Instagram and X asked Matthews to leave the Maple Leafs, the Toronto captain doesn't seem keen to leave the team where he's played since being drafted No. 1 overall a decade ago.

Per NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs are prepared to possibly be major sellers at the deadline, but spoke to Matthews before the Olympic break to make sure he was OK with the direction they are moving in.

Matthews allegedly agreed on management's decision to trade players, but was assured that neither he nor fellow star scorer William Nylander would be on the block.

Although Matthews almost assuredly won't be traded this season, going into next with only a year left on his contract and pressure in the city mounting, the conversations about his potential trade are only going to get louder.

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