{"id":492087,"date":"2026-03-07T23:16:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T23:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/492087\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T23:16:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T23:16:28","slug":"auston-matthews-says-toronto-maple-leafs-owe-fans-good-effort-down-the-stretch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/492087\/","title":{"rendered":"Auston Matthews says Toronto Maple Leafs owe fans good effort down the stretch\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> skated at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the first time since picking Auston Matthews<\/a> first overall in 2016, the Maple Leafs sold at the NHL trade deadline. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not ideal and it\u2019s not fun,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cIt\u2019s never fun losing and being in this position, this situation, but you have to take responsibility. It\u2019s obviously on the players and you kind of lay in the bed you make.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. They are 10 points out of a playoff spot heading into Saturday\u2019s home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In the 48 hours leading into Friday\u2019s deadline, general manager Brad Treliving traded away centre Nicolas Roy<\/a>, centre Scott Laughton<\/a> and winger Bobby McMann<\/a> in exchange for five draft picks. <\/p>\n

Toronto has dropped six straight games (0-4-2) since returning from the Olympic break. The uncertainty surrounding the deadline weighed on the group. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard for it not to, especially here,\u201d said Matthews, who is in his second season as captain. \u201cThere\u2019s always a lot of noise, but I thought guys handled it as professionally and as well as they could.\u201d<\/p>\n

How is Matthews handling it? <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been fine,\u201d said Craig Berube<\/a>, who is in his second season as the team\u2019s head coach. \u201cObviously he\u2019s not happy about things and losing teammates and the situation that we\u2019re in. He\u2019s like everybody else. Nobody is happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

It will be on Matthews and the rest of the leadership group to help the team navigate the final 19 games of the season. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where it starts,\u201d Berube said. \u201cThat\u2019s gotta be the standard for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is Matthews\u2019 mindset? <\/p>\n

\u201cTaking it one game at a time and making sure we\u2019re ready to compete and having fun, sticking together, putting in an effort we can be proud of when we leave the rink,\u201d the 28-year-old said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we owe one another. I think we owe it to the fans who pay money to come watch us play to go out and put forward a good effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs have lost seven straight games at home (0-5-2). Toronto fans haven\u2019t celebrated a win at Scotiabank Arena win since Jan. 10.<\/p>\n

Matthews on Leafs situation: ‘It\u2019s obviously on the players and you lay in the bed you make’ For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Maple Leafs could be missing out on post-season play. After a roster shakeup over the last couple of days, Toronto captain Auston Matthews speaks about dealing with the current situation, and points the finger back at himself and the players for not playing to the level expected. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

What was deadline day like for Oliver Ekman-Larsson<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard, especially for me,\u201d the 34-year-old defenceman said. \u201cI wanted to stay, wanted to be here, and we love it here, so I think that makes it even harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ekman-Larsson was held out of Toronto\u2019s games on Wednesday and Thursday as Treliving entertained trade offers for the Swedish Olympian. Ultimately, no team met the asking price. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m relieved and obviously happy,\u201d Ekman-Larsson said. \u201cI still believe in this team and wanted to be here. It\u2019s a tough day. It\u2019s a weird day. Just trying to keep myself busy with the little guy and worked pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brad Treliving on Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has two years remaining on his deal beyond this season:<\/p>\n

“With term left on his contract, we required a return that I thought would be fair & nobody met that level”<\/p>\n

OEL sat out last two games for roster management@TSN_Sports<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Ekman-Larsson is only in the second year of a four-year contract, and his wife is expecting the couple\u2019s second child soon. TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston asked if any fences need to be mended considering how the deadline played out? <\/p>\n

Ekman-Larsson sighed before answering. <\/p>\n

\u201cAh, I don\u2019t know,\u201d he said. \u201cLike I said, I\u2019m just happy to still be here and that\u2019s what I wanted and what my family wanted so super excited about that. And, like I said, I still have a lot of belief in this organization and love being here, so I was trying not to think about it too much … but it was pretty tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will ‘relieved’ Ekman-Larsson need to mend fences after ‘tough’ deadline with Leafs? ‘I don\u2019t know’\u00a0 After not being dealt at the deadline, Oliver Ekman-Larsson showed relief at the Maple Leafs’ morning skate prior to their game against the Lightning, and he explained why he wanted to stay in Toronto. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

This has been a tough stretch for the players. How is Berube processing things? <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that right now is the right time to process the whole thing, like, with you guys and talk about everything, what I\u2019m feeling and what I\u2019m seeing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll do that another time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berube is doing his best to keep belief alive in the dressing room. <\/p>\n

\u201cI told the guys today, you know, until we\u2019re completely out of it, we\u2019re not out of it,\u201d the coach said. \u201cWe gotta focus on the game tonight and the effort and compete that\u2019s needed and playing the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s playoff chances are down to 0.2 per cent, per moneypuck.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

Berube trying to keep Leafs hope alive: ‘Until we’re completely out of it, we’re not out of it’ The Maple Leafs have lost six games in a row, and sit 10 points out of the wild card in the Eastern Conference. After unloading some key players ahead of the NHL trade deadline, the Leafs admit that while it is a challenge, they aren’t done just yet. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The Leafs finished first in the Atlantic Division last year before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers<\/a> in a seven-game, second-round series. Both the Leafs and Panthers appear destined to miss the postseason altogether this year. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gone through what the Panthers have gone through,\u201d said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. \u201cGoing to three straight Finals is trying. It\u2019s tough. We were fortunate to continue making the playoffs. They had some massive injuries. They\u2019ve made a run. Let\u2019s be honest, their run has been pretty special. [Sometimes] the stars align for you, sometimes they don\u2019t and they didn\u2019t align for them this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

What about the Leafs? <\/p>\n

\u201cProbably a little bit of the same thing,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cThey don\u2019t have the fruits of their labour like the way Florida does, so it\u2019s probably tougher for the Leafs to swallow in a way.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Leafs made the playoffs in the last nine seasons, but won just two series during that stretch. Mitch Marner then left the organization via a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> in the summer. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen there\u2019s roster change, it can affect things,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cI\u2019m not here every day so I don\u2019t know. All I know is I haven\u2019t beaten the Leafs in I don\u2019t know how long. I know we beat them [recently], but I wasn\u2019t behind the bench. So, the Leafs are always hard for me because I, literally, haven\u2019t beaten them in a year and a half.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lightning beat the Leafs in the first game after the Olympic break, but Cooper missed the game to be with his family following the death of his father. <\/p>\n

The last time Cooper was behind the bench for a Lightning win over the Leafs was April 17, 2024. He\u2019s lost five straight games since then<\/p>\n

Cooper on decline of Leafs: ‘When there’s roster change, it can affect things’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper shares his thought on why the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs have seen a decline this season, and why Tampa Bay has been able to sustain their success. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

While the Leafs have taken a step back this season, the Lightning are on track to make the playoffs for a ninth straight year.<\/p>\n

Nikita Kucherov<\/a>, Brayden Point<\/a>, Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a>, Brandon Hagel<\/a>, Anthony Cirelli<\/a> and Victor Hedman<\/a> are a big reason for this run, but Cooper credits general manager Julien BriseBois for keeping things fresh around the core.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a great core,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cWe got the centremen, the big D, the goalie, but there\u2019s been a little infusion of young guys that have come in. [Charle-Edouard] D\u2019Astous has come in and provided some big minutes for us when guys got hurt. There was development from [Declan] Carlile, [Max] Crozier and [Emil] Lilleberg on the back end. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd people were sitting there and saying, \u2018I can\u2019t believe they\u2019re winning,\u2019 but all these guys came in and helped us win. [Gage] Goncalves has taken a step. Dominic James<\/a>, another one that I don\u2019t think anybody was anticipating to come in. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of credit has to go to Julien and the staff for finding some of these younger players that have really not only given us a bump, but can play. I think that\u2019s helped. And then you have a core group led by the Kuchs and the Points and [Jake Guentzel<\/a>] and Hags and Tony and those guys, they\u2019ve been themselves and it\u2019s really helped us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite dropping four straight games in regulation, the Lightning remain second in the Eastern Conference and on top of the Atlantic Division standings, which isn\u2019t an easy feat this season. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is as tough a conference as I\u2019ve ever seen it,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cI\u2019ve been in this league a while. This is anybody\u2019s game, this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The Lightning made one addition at the deadline bringing back Corey Perry<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t expect him to go in there and play 20 minutes a night, but I do feel we\u2019re a better team with him,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cReally excited to have him back. It\u2019s much more than the stuff he does on the ice. It\u2019s on the bench. He sees things, he says things and you\u2019re just always like, \u2018I wish I thought of that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Perry played two previous seasons for the Lightning from 2021 to 2023. The veteran winger agreed to waive his no-trade clause when approached by the Los Angeles Kings<\/a> about moving back to Tampa. Perry\u2019s young son was on board. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was excited,\u201d Perry noted. \u201cThis is a team that, if they called you\u2019d be definitely open to [it], and he said, \u2018Go,\u2019 so it\u2019s nice to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perry\u2019s son and wife will remain in California. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tough leaving them,\u201d he said. \u201cBut, at the end of the day, you have a chance to win a Stanley Cup and come to a great team and a great Cup contender and that\u2019s what the end goal is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perry has played in five of the last six Stanley Cup Finals, including 2022 with the Lightning, but he hasn\u2019t lifted the Cup since 2007 in his second NHL season with the Anaheim Ducks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Perry\u2019s flight to Toronto on Friday was delayed four hours and he only landed at 4 a.m. ET. He will rely on adrenaline on Saturday night. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to,\u201d the 40-year-old from Peterborough, Ont. said. \u201cBut I think playing in Toronto kind of helps. It\u2019s the hockey Mecca and I\u2019ll have some family here so it\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did the morning skate feel like? <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like I never left,\u201d he said with a grin.<\/p>\n

‘Playing in Toronto helps’: After landing at 4 am, Perry pumped to start second stint with Bolts Corey Perry talks to the media ahead of his debut with the Lightning as they are in Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs Saturday night. He shares his excitement about his second stint with Tampa Bay and how the trade came to fruition. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Lines at Saturday\u2019s Leafs skate: <\/p>\n

Maccelli – Matthews – Nylander<\/p>\n

Knies – Tavares – Cowan<\/p>\n

Joshua – Domi – Robertson<\/p>\n

Lorentz – Quillan – Jarnkrok<\/p>\n

Rielly – Carlo<\/p>\n

McCabe – Ekman-Larsson<\/p>\n

Benoit – Stecher<\/p>\n

Myers<\/p>\n

Stolarz starts<\/p>\n

Woll <\/p>\n

Power play units at Saturday\u2019s Leafs skate: <\/p>\n

QB: Rielly<\/p>\n

Flanks: Matthews, Nylander<\/p>\n

Middle: Tavares<\/p>\n

Down low: Knies<\/p>\n

QB: Ekman-Larsson<\/p>\n

Flanks: Domi, Maccelli<\/p>\n

Middle: Robertson<\/p>\n

Net front: Cowan<\/p>\n