NHL reporter Jackie Redmond took the opportunity to absolutely cook Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs after losing 5 of their last 6 games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are preparing to play their last game before the Christmas break tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but after a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars that capped off a stretch of 5 losses in their last 6 games, they’re not coming in with much momentum to speak of.

Reporter deep fries Auston Matthews after rough 3-game road trip

Following the loss in Dallas, Auston Matthews spoke with reporters, revealing that he felt as though the team did some good things and that the process seemed to be improving. That comment did not sit well with NHL Network reporter Jackie Redmond, who eviscerated the Leafs and Matthews during an appearance on DFO’s Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast.

“You see it in the way Matthews talks about this bad stretch, right? He goes, ‘oh, well I thought this was a better process.’ Did you? Did you? You lost 5-1. I don’t know… was it a better process?… better than sh*t isn’t that good. So what, I don’t know. I’m sorry, what are you? Are you the fly on the sh*t? Like, I don’t know… That’s not that great.”

Redmond talked about how there’s been a protective layer cast over these star players in Toronto for their entire careers, and now that things are really getting tough, they really don’t know how to handle the pressure. Is it a valid point? It might be.

Matthews has had a particularly rough stretch, capped off by a brutal 3-game road trip in which he posted 0 points and a -7 rating. The hits just keep on coming for the Leafs’ captain, who has produced well under a point per game this season. In 30 games thus far, Matthews has amassed just 14 goals and 23 points. Very uncharacteristic.

After the Mitch Marner debacle, which, to be honest, was at least partially earned with poor postseason play and a combative attitude towards the fans and media, the last thing anyone wants to see is the fan base turn on another star and for the star to turn on the fan base.

That’s not to absolve Matthews of his play of late. You can’t make $13.25M per season and be above criticism, but there is a delicate line between accountability and vilification, and some of the more extreme fans seem to cross that line a little too often in Toronto.

Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily

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Reporter Jackie Redmond eviscerates the Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews during podcast appearance

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