Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews has prime opportunity to shed some labels at Olympics

What Chaos’ Pete Blackburn believes that Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has a prime opportunity to prove he can be a big-game player at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.Matthews was given the honour of captaining the American men’s Olympic hockey team a year after getting the same during the 4 Nations Face-Off. There were many fans skeptical of the decision, given that Matthews has yet to succeed in the playoffs and that he plays for the Leafs. But there is no doubt that a big showing on the biggest stage in hockey would go a long way for the perception around Matthews in the biggest moments.“ It goes back to the leadership question and the big game gene. It’s something that has really stuck to him in Toronto, and those questions are not gonna be shed if he goes quiet on the Olympic stage,” Blackburn said during a Daily Faceoff preview of the Olympics. “For a guy who has got to wear the C, there was some noise around whether that was the right call. I think that a win at 4 Nations would’ve really helped his cause, but he has got another opportunity to show up big here for Team USA.”

What gets lost in the shuffle is that prior to Connor McDavid scoring the OT winner in the 4 Nations Final, Matthews was playing lights out and generating a boatload of scoring chances during the game. He will certainly be plenty motivated to prove himself not only a worthy pick of the US captain, but also someone who can come through in the big moment when so many believe he can’t do it.

Matthews isn’t the only one who has a lot to prove at the Olympics, as William Nylander is facing similar questions from the perspective of whether Sweden has enough to keep up with the powerhouses in Canada and the US.

“Just talking about game breakers is something that is kind of worrisome for me, cause you’re gonna need that top player to step forward and be a deciding factor in an important game,” Daily Faceoff’s Uffe Bodin said. “Obviously, William Nylander is probably the one that comes closest to mind. He’s had an up-and-down season, being injured really for the first time in his career and missing a lot of time. But upfront, we have good players. It’s just a matter of can they elevate their game to the level, really competing with the best in the world.”

Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have a longer track record of being able to show up in big moments more often than not, and they won’t have to carry a heavy load for Sweden as they have a well-balanced roster. It really boils down to whether or not they will be able to pull through on this occasion, and if there will be enough players to uplift them if they falter

You can watch the full segment down below:

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