What if Auston Matthews just isn't that guy anymore for the Maple Leafs?

Dec 4, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) skates against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Things just don’t seem to be the same for Auston Matthews and some fans are wondering if he’s truly the game-changing star, or already past his best years.

In 2024-25 he had only 33 goals even though he missed 15 games, and with a new season and a lot more offensive expectations on his shoulders, there was a lot of hope he’d regain his form this season.

Well, he’s been good for sure, but has not reached the heights of the player who scored 69 goals in 2023-24. It’s starting to get a bit concerning and some fans on social media are wondering if Matthews is the guy still.

One fan noted that Matthews just hasn’t looked the same as in years past, and that with only a couple years left on his deal; maybe it’s time to talk about the future.

How the Auston Matthews Leafs fans fell in love with is different from what they’re seeing now

Look, Matthews is still one of the top players on the ice whenever he’s on, but this is a much different style of player than we saw in the Sheldon Keefe era.

Long gone are the days of a lightning-fast offense full of rapid fire chances and less savvy opponents without much defensive responsibility.

That’s changed under Craig Berube, who has utilized Matthews more as a defensive-minded center who plays in all situations as opposed to someone solely focused on explosive offense.

His defensive zone usage has been a lot under Craig Berube, as is his penalty kill usage and even though Toronto has a perfectly capable group of penalty killers like Scott Laughton and Nicolas Roy; Matthews shouldn’t be relied upon to carry such a load.

Matthews is essentially a non-factor on the power play (though that’s an issue that plagues the entire team) but for someone who has been such a strong player on the man advantage, he has two points this year on the PP.

His defensive numbers are solid even though he has given the puck away a bit more than usual on a nightly basis. But across the board his G/60, A/60, P/60 have decreased and his offensive point shares have plummeted from last year (7.3 in 2024-25, 1.7 in 2025-26).

It’s something to get used to, considering we have had so many years of Matthews playing a specific way, and seeing a brand new style of play is going to be a culture shock to those who have followed since he was drafted.

He had a four-game point streak that was snapped against Montreal on Saturday, and still has 19 points in 22 games. It’s not like he’s completely fallen off; but we were spoiled with how dominant he was at certain points.

If he’s genuinely shifting into a ‘do-everything 1C’ who scores 35-40 instead of 60+, that’s fine in a vacuum. But the Leafs are paying for the red-hot superstar version of Matthews.

Their entire cap structure and Cup window assume Matthews is the best goal-scorer on earth, not just a very good all-around center. Toronto needs him to be that irresistible force to carry them through anything.

Some fans are starting to think that maybe Auston Matthews isn’t the guy anymore, and the dominant force we once knew is just a fleeting memory.

But as long as he keeps impacting the game in all facets, he’s still going to be as important to the Maple Leafs’ success as he’s been before. Just in a much different role.