Analyst Dave Feschuk touched on the issue during TSN’s OverDrive and didn’t mince words, calling out Matthews for being carried by others when he’s supposed to be the one doing the heavy lifting as the team’s superstar.
“You have to have confidence that your guy, your number one guy, has another gear. That your number one guy can carry the team if need be… And for the Maple Leafs, I think this is the number one issue of the season. The number one guy ain’t carrying them anywhere; in fact, he’s being carried by teammates that are having better years than him. He’s being carried by the fact that they’ve had pretty darn good goaltending when it’s been good. He’s being carried by the fact that there’s other issues with this team that are being highlighted, including the rash of injuries, including the fact that a lot of people are blaming the coach and the general manager,”
The 28-year-old is currently producing at the lowest per-game rate of his NHL career, with just 23 points (14 goals, nine assists) through 31 games played.
Finding Auston Matthews Wingers Has Been a Struggle
While there are a multitude of factors that have impacted Matthews’ play and production — potential injury, Craig Berube’s system, and the loss of Mitch Marner — the revolving door of wingers certainly hasn’t helped either.
Matthew Knies, William Nylander, Max Domi, Bobby McMann, Nick Robertson, Easton Cowan, Matias Maccelli, and even Calle Jarnkrok have all spent time flanking the captain on the top line. Knies is the only one who’s stuck for any meaningful stretch, and even that pairing was recently broken up as the duo had dried up in a big way.
Nylander is the closest thing Matthews has to a Marner replacement, but loading the two of them together leaves John Tavares stranded on the second line — something we’ve seen he can no longer carry on his own.
That reality leaves the Maple Leafs without a clear internal solution to help Matthews, which could force them to explore the trade market for a skilled, playmaking top-six winger. As much as a two-time 60-goal scorer should be able to drive results on his own, it’s clear the current setup isn’t doing him — or the team — any favors.