Player Discussion Auston Matthews (Captain Edition)

[Tie Domi Esquire]

It's ok guys thankfully the PR crew told me the last time that flying to Germany was "nothing" and totally commonplace.

They also told us that he wouldn't be targeted if the team withheld information from the fans.

 

[BallardEra]

I think he misses next Friday and Saturday games as well.

 

[Evilhomer]

I think he misses next Friday and Saturday games as well.

Sure feels like this ends somewhere on an operating table.

 

[Stephen]

I think he misses next Friday and Saturday games as well.

Based purely on how long he was off last time with the day to day and how bad it's looked before they shut him down, February wouldn't surprise me.

 

[thewave]

Based purely on how long he was off last time with the day to day and how bad it's looked before they shut him down, February wouldn't surprise me.

They need to send him to Elon and Six Million Dollar man him.

 

[ORRFForever]

If he needs surgery, get it done. 4 months before the playoffs is plenty of time to recover.

 

[Stephen]

If he needs surgery, get it done. 4 months before the playoffs is plenty of time to recover.

Does he want surgery, was it an option in the summer, etc. all these are questions that have no answer because of the incredible secrecy around the player.

 

[ORRFForever]

Does he want surgery, was it an option in the summer, etc. all these are questions that have no answer because of the incredible secrecy around the player.

It's not healing on it's own. Something needs to be done.

 

[Stephen]

It's not healing on it's own. Something needs to be done.

From what we can tell on the outside he wasn’t healthy to finish the season last year and was not healthy at the first scrimmage of training camp. Same injury? No one knows. But it doesn’t seem like the summer was utilized properly to have a healthy and successful start to the year.

 

[mikeyz]

I know this has probably been asked already but does Shanny, Treliving and company have the power to block and forbid him from playing in the 4 nations tournament?

 

[ORRFForever]

From what we can tell on the outside he wasn’t healthy to finish the season last year and was not healthy at the first scrimmage of training camp. Same injury? No one knows. But it doesn’t seem like the summer was utilized properly to have a healthy and successful start to the year.

Never mind. I misread what you wrote.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

From what we can tell on the outside he wasn’t healthy to finish the season last year and was not healthy at the first scrimmage of training camp. Same injury? No one knows. But it doesn’t seem like the summer was utilized properly to have a healthy and successful start to the year.

At least he had fun playing tennis with Knies.

 

[Stephen]

At least he had fun playing tennis with Knies.

Yeah I don't know if summer tennis is going to be part of future offseason routines the way things have gone. Tennis and back and elbow problems kind of go together.

 

[Jojalu]

From a pure performance standpoint, Auston Matthews has steadily fallen behind Nathan Mackinnon, Leon Draisaitl and Nikita Kucherov in the forward rankings over the past few years, and I don't he should based on the toolset he has to play the game. For me, he's simply made any of the long term behavioral changes and growth on the ice to consistently be where he has already demonstrated he can get occasionally. Play harder, use your body more efficiently, straighter lines, more mission focused.

While his goal scoring has been best in the business, he lags far behind in the Art Ross conversation and making those around him more productive compared to his peer group who has repeat years in the 110s-140s. That's in the regular season alone. We simply are paying him the most money in the game but aren't getting anything close to that kind of production.

That's before we even get to the problem that he's not a playoff performer. At all. Every 7 game series, he's good for 1 or 2 breakout games, but compare that to Mackinnon, Draisaitl, Kucherov, look at the kind of runs their teams are capable of going on with them leading the way. Like other top 5 guys, he can't sustain and the team goes nowhere year after year. All of this is heaped on Marner, but the share of blame should be a lot more equal.

From an injury perspective, we don't have any real information, so all this is in the land of speculation. But if you're throwing around "inept" as a word, I don't know one could look at the way Matthews and the Leafs have handled this as "competent."

If Matthew was hurt in the playoffs, the summer months were not used to make sure he was healthy going into this season. If he wasn't healthy in training camp, the time wasn't used to get him right in the regular season. And if it was so serious that he was off for a month and had to go to Germany for treatment, it didn't get him right again. So from what we've seen with ineffective treatment, poor play and 7 months of recurring injuries and performance related dips and massive state secrets, I'd say yeah maybe the team and player aren't handling this properly. But we have no information otherwise.

This whole project is not where it needs to be.

He is a better goal scorer and better defensively than all those players.

He blocks more shots than all of them.

He wins more faceoffs.

He may not put up as many points but he is a better all around player. Mack is pretty close and the better offensive player

 

[Stephen]

He is a better goal scorer and better defensively than all those players.

He blocks more shots than all of them.

He wins more faceoffs.

He may not put up as many points but he is a better all around player. Mack is pretty close and the better offensive player

I don't subscribe to the idea that I need shot blocks, PK, and defense from Matthews more than I need an extra 30 points in the scoring race and big moments in the playoffs.

 

[centipede2233]

At some point is the player worth the headache. One nhl player doesn’t impact a lot like the nba.

 

[Jojalu]

I don't subscribe to the idea that I need shot blocks, PK, and defense from Matthews more than I need an extra 30 points in the scoring race and big moments in the playoffs.

Big moments in the playoffs I can agree with.

Doing everything to help a team win is equally important.

If Berube wants a lower scoring game where defense comes first, then all those little things matter.

 

[Confucius]

If he needs surgery, get it done. 4 months before the playoffs is plenty of time to recover.

No way, 4 months for a broken wrist maybe, even a wrist can take a year if an operation is needed