Player Discussion Auston Matthews (Captain Edition)

[57 Years No Cup]

The guy is the opposite of a captain and leader. The fact that this city and team has given him everything on a platter and received nothing in return, not even commitment, is embarrassing.

But imagine how many fans bought a new 34 jersey just for the "C" on it!

Unfortunately people don't realize how bad he has been in the playoffs because Marner is even worse and Matthews will hit once in a while.

He plays in a higher scoring era with way way better talent and yet Mats outscored him in the playoffs in his first 53 playoff games with 25 goals to Matthews 23 in his 55 playoff games. Not at all a good look considering this guy literally has a chance to outscore Gretzky and Ovechkin, yet he ranks 28th in playoff g/60 (1st in the season among active players).

Personally I've seen enough, if somebody made me a good offer and he was open to being moved, I would move him in a heartbeat. He LOOKS like some generational must have piece, but in reality come playoff time he is more in line with someone like Taylor Hall or Brock Boeser or Brock Nelson aka a good player, nothing at all that special, not even close to worth 13+ million.

I'd imagine you could get a massive haul and restart something new here which is what we should do, ofc that would never happen in a trillion years, but it must be said. His playoff stats tell you the entire story.

34 for McD straight up.

 

[Nineteen67]

On all 4 goals, the Leafs "core" made pretty dumb errors and cost the team. The rest of the team did their jobs. The leafs outshot the Blues 42-26.

It really is the same issue as we have in the playoffs. The Leafs core, some way more than others, simply lack the mental toughness to play a safe, disciplined game when it matters and make critical errors.

I’m not convinced it’s mental. I think it’s more of a physical inability.

 

[Nineteen67]

Use money down the line to get quicker players.

I fear it may be too late for this group. They haven’t shown that they’re good enough hockey players to win big.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

That locker room illness has gripped them all pretty hard.

Seems to have affected their ability to make decisions.

The locker room illness has the initials MM. Excising the cancer is necessary.

 

[authentic]

The Leafs are such dopes when they think they need to be deceptive on the PP. For example everyone knows exactly what Ovi or Stamkos would try to do on the Washington and Tampa PP’s but they still went ahead and executed, same set plays, same one time plays for over a decade. It doesn’t come down to tricking the opposition to be successful on special teams, you just need to be crisp and execute whatever it is you want to do. The whole organization just over thinks everything.

This is exactly it and they also just don't move the puck quick enough. Like they each individually want to hold it for a while like you say and try to be deceptive, it's a silly looking powerplay even when it was previously working well in the regular season.

 

[thewave]

The locker room illness has the initials MM. Excising the cancer is necessary.

I think you are right but what makes you so certain? There must be fire around this because the amount of smoke.

 

[Stephen]

This is exactly it and they also just don't move the puck quick enough. Like they each individually want to hold it for a while like you say and try to be deceptive, it's a silly looking powerplay even when it was previously working well in the regular season.

They'd have more success running whatever PP structure if the 5 man unit just played at 1.25x the pace they usually go at it and went to the slot like they weren't afraid of contact, losing a puck and having to skate 200 feet to go retrieve it. Whatever complicated explanation they have for PP misfiring it just comes down to being mentally lazy and not willing to up the work rate.

 

[Stephen]

On all 4 goals, the Leafs "core" made pretty dumb errors and cost the team. The rest of the team did their jobs. The leafs outshot the Blues 42-26.

It really is the same issue as we have in the playoffs. The Leafs core, some way more than others, simply lack the mental toughness to play a safe, disciplined game when it matters and make critical errors.

It always just seems to comes down to the Dysfunctional Five and their little idiosyncratic ways. Obviously between them there's different problems and ownership of the problems but man, they just can't get their damn act together.

 

[authentic]

They'd have more success running whatever PP structure if the 5 man unit just played at 1.25x the pace they usually go at it and went to the slot like they weren't afraid of contact, losing a puck and having to skate 200 feet to go retrieve it. Whatever complicated explanation they have for PP misfiring it just comes down to being mentally lazy and not willing to up the work rate.

Exactly it’s their opportunity to stand around and take it easy really, why overly exert yourself?

 

[TMLAM34]

The powerplay needs to be split into two units, not sure why we keep running the same thing over and over and over again and it keeps getting worse and worse.

PP 1 - Matthews, Nylander, Ekman-Larsson, Knies and Domi

PP2 - Marner, Tavares, Rielly, Robertson, Pacioretty/McMann

 

[Stephen]

The powerplay needs to be split into two units, not sure why we keep running the same thing over and over and over again and it keeps getting worse and worse.

PP 1 - Matthews, Nylander, Ekman-Larsson, Knies and Domi

PP2 - Marner, Tavares, Rielly, Robertson, Pacioretty/McMann

If Berube and Savard really want to shake things up I agree with your approach. Cut the PP1 unit in half and spread them all out to two units to avoid making it look like they’re singling one guy out. But basically give them all demotions to two equal PP2 units with no obvious starting unit.

 

[TMLAM34]

If Berube and Savard really want to shake things up I agree with your approach. Cut the PP1 unit in half and spread them all out to two units to avoid making it look like they’re singling one guy out. But basically give them all demotions to two equal PP2 units with no obvious starting unit.

Agreed, create some internal competition and give more ice time to the PP unit that’s clicking better that night.

 

[mapleleaf979]

Matthews is a big part of the locker room issues or the overall issues the team has. Matthews does not show up consistently. He appears more and more like an arrogant person who just wants to be worshipped and praised. 13.25 million is alot more important to Matthews than winning in the playoffs. What happened to him last year in the playoffs when he missed 2 games and wouldnt explain why. What happened to being 6-3 225 in the playoffs but refuses to separate man from puck, his goal scoring prowess that disappears in the playoffs.

 

[Stephen]

Matthews is a big part of the locker room issues or the overall issues the team has. Matthews does not show up consistently. He appears more and more like an arrogant person who just wants to be worshipped and praised. 13.25 million is alot more important to Matthews than winning in the playoffs. What happened to him last year in the playoffs when he missed 2 games and wouldnt explain why. What happened to being 6-3 225 in the playoffs but refuses to separate man from puck, his goal scoring prowess that disappears in the playoffs.

Matthews' exit from the Bruins series after the meltdown on the bench would have looked a lot worse if the team didn't rally down 3-1 in his absence to allow him back in because when he didn't come out for the third it looked very odd.

Questions about the injury have never ever been addressed and have always left a strange atmosphere to the situation... especially when playoff hockey is often characterized by superstars playing through all kinds of gruesome things in pursuit of the cup because they just need to compete. Just look at McDavid and Draisaitl over the years.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

IMO, Matthews is very similar to Draisaitl. Both will rack up goals and pts if given linemates who can feed him passes, or get opportunistic goals on the PP. Dany Heatley was similar when he clicked with Alfredsson and Spezza, with a solid PP.

They arent creators. They arent like the guys you listed above who can take the puck from one end and deke out the other team and score or create chances on their own (for themself or for teammates).

That's why when McDavid and Marner or whomever have a slow start on the team, so do Matthews and Draisaitl. Similar players are Hyman and JT. If crash and bang goals within 10 ft of the net arent there, their entire offensive numbers go down the toilet. You wont even notice them playing that game.

Dynamic players can still be noticed during a game even if they get zero pts. But players who rely on those players to help them score will be invisible when they get zero pts.

On the other hand, someone like Joe Sakic could get 100 pts all by himself playing on those dogshit teams early in his career. And when on good teams, still does good and makes players around him better.

Are you sure you watched Drai ever play?lol He creates a ton.

 

[LeafEgo]

I fear it may be too late for this group. They haven’t shown that they’re good enough hockey players to win big.

Given the environment they were developed it's not surprising. Whether or not that can be unscrewed, and how long that might take, I have no idea. But the foundation is coming together to give it the ol' college try.

 

[JamieG19]

Auston and Mitch run the team. The media and fans were so quick to credit Berube for so-called changing the culture before he did anything. It always depended on how he treats Matthews and Marner. And so far he’s going the same route as Keefe. Auston and Mitch want to play together to maximize their point totals — Berube has been unwilling to pick that fight.

Same with the PP. They want all of them stacked on one unit to try to get their points.

It’s easy for Berube or any coach to be a hard-ass with the likes of McMann or Robertson but Auston and Mitch is where it matters.