Player Discussion Auston Matthews (Captain Edition)

[Apex Predator]

In retrospect, MLSE telling Babcock he had to fly down to Arizona to make peace with Matthews when the young star was pissed off was a big mistake.

Talk about entitled, no wonder Auston feels like he owns this place, MLSE pretty much handed him the keys. Honestly, if you were him in that scenario what would you think?

Former Cup-winning coach, making $5 million a year, decades of experience and forced to humiliate himself by flying down there & driving a rental car to Auston's home to apologize to a 20-year-old kid and worse, having it publicly reported.

And so knowing how this organization puts its stars over literally everyone else not on the board, you can see how these players don't feel like playoff success is a mandatory job requirement. Just sell jerseys & season tickets, get lots of press and they'll give you contracts that you only ever dreamed off, no strings attached - included actually winning.

This sums it up perfectly. Shanny and MLSE made Matthews and Marner this way. They are to be blamed. The problem with this franchise starts at the top of MLSE. Organization has a loser mentality.

 

[FlameChampion]

I think he’s more of a problem than Marner

 

[seventieslord]

Let's pretend for a second that it's true that there were too many passengers and that Matthews and Marner weren't among them. Did they even stop for a second to think that maybe the reason that all this team can afford is a bunch of passengers is because these two soak the team for every dollar they can get, every time they can?

 

[wingman75]

I think he’s more of a problem than Marner

Looking ahead I think there is no doubt this guy breaks down WAY sooner than Marner. Christ he is basically broken into pieces now and has been for a few years. How does that get any better under a Berube style? Honestly, if he cannot score he cannot be paid what he is.

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

I think he’s more of a problem than Marner

He's the head of the snake on the player side. People seem to forget that Marner was signed after Tavares, Nylander, and Matthews. Everyone got overpaid, so why wouldn't Marner?

 

[Boxscore]

Let's assume for a second that it's true that there were too many passengers and that Matthews and Marner weren't among them. Did they even stop for a second to think that maybe the reason that all this team can afford is a bunch of passengers is because these two soak the team for every dollar they can get, every time they can?

I've been saying this for 3-4 years now and it's been mostly met with pushback. The brutal truth is that both Matthews and Marner (especially Matthews) have toxic DNA for an organization hoping to win anything substantial.

Matthews is tissue soft, and has zero dog in him, until it's time to grind for every last dollar. He's great when he can fire lasers uncontested on a random Tuesday night during the regular season. But when it's time to battle in the playoffs, he shrivels up and turns into mush.

He has done it here for 8+ years when it matters and he did it in the 4 Nations when it was time to score a key goal.

The kid just wants to show up, play celebrity, score easy goals, backcheck when he feels like it, and pad the digits. But, come playoffs, you can't count on him. He has no extra gear and his stats pale in comparison to his regular season.

He's like a modern day Rick Nash or Pierre Turgeon but maybe even softer. And, unlike those guys, today there's a salary cap so his obsession with beating up the Leafs for every last dollar prohibits them from surrounding him with legit dogs and winners.

It's a no win situation with this kid if the Cup is what truly matters. If it's just selling jerseys and being entertaining for 82 games, he's gold.

He had a subpar season by his standards so my fingers were crossed that this was the year he saved it for the playoffs. Nope.

 

[ashs]

Hope he asks to be traded when marner goes.

 

[GQS]

Matthews much like Marner is another player that I would be sad to see leave, but if another team offered a really good package for him, I would take it and run.

Whether its injuries or his lack of speed and style of play or something else, it seems like its pretty easy to shut him down in the playoffs all the time. You could probably count on one hand the number of playoff games this year that he's looked really dangerous and a threat to score for most of a game. Everytime he's on the ice I notice Knies being wayyyy more of scoring threat than Matthews does practically every single playoff game.

It sucks to see a guy who's suppose to be our best player not look anywhere near like our best player everytime we hit the playoffs. Whatever reason it is, it sucks that he hasn't shown to be a great or even really good playoff performer like other big stars in the league have shown themselves to be at least some of the time.

 

[Boxscore]

Hope he asks to be traded when marner goes.

Utah is the perfect trade partner considering they were gifted the 4th overall pick and have some talent coming over.

I'd dangle Matthews for the 4th overall (take Frondell or Hagens), Simashev, Crouse and sweetener.

Let Marner go, and have 20 extra million to spend on players who are a better bit. Crouse would be a welcome addition and Simashev is a 6-4 D pup who can skate like the wind and has top pairing D written all over him.

The 4th overall guarantees the Leafs a future 1C on a very affordable contract for a few years. This off-season is the best chance to get Matthews to agree to a new start before his value is depleted or he walks for nothing like Marner is going to.

 

[Hacketts]

Can you win with him?

He's your best trade chip, and if done correctly can get the right player/s that can win when it counts.

Big boy decisions trading a guy like him, but you need to ask if he's the right person for this team.

 

[mmalady]

After giving him the C, I just can't see MLSE moving him prior to the end of his contract.. that would be admitting they made a mistake..best I can hope for is Matthews himself asks for a trade.
His "too many passengers" comment sickens me and makes me feel bad for the actual warriors on this team...it was eye opening and I believe that he is the root of the attitude problem.
Ah well.. hopefully he's on IR alot the next few years so I don't have to hear or look at him too much

 

[Larcos_Unal]

In hindsight, the Shanny method of protecting the players and shielding them from responsibility was counterproductive.
You want to have guys that go through the wringer and have to answer for failure right from an early age. It's like they never matured and grew into men, they're perpetually playing shinny while there's grown ass men in the other bench stealing their lunch when it matters most.

Simply pathetic stuff from some of the highest paid 'superstars' in the league.

 

[Metroid]

After giving him the C, I just can't see MLSE moving him prior to the end of his contract.. that would be admitting they made a mistake..best I can hope for is Matthews himself asks for a trade.
His "too many passengers" comment sickens me and makes me feel bad for the actual warriors on this team...it was eye opening and I believe that he is the root of the attitude problem.
Ah well.. hopefully he's on IR alot the next few years so I don't have to hear or look at him too much

It's why MLSE is a problem and we need to find a way to destroy that corp.

 

[Apex Predator]

Full passenger quote for context.

Still sounds bad overall to me.

 

[klmdg]

When your star player acts like this in a playoff game, you ain't ever winning shit

Should have made major changers after that Montreal series

 

[djdev]

View attachment 1038774

When your star player acts like this in a playoff game, you ain't ever winning shit

Should have made major changers after that Montreal series

look at nylander there too, might be even worse if im being honest.

 

[SharksFan1992]

Full passenger quote for context.

Still sounds bad overall to me.

"too many passengers"
Yeah, you!

 

[Gabriel426]

New York, New York.

As your last duty as Capt of the Leafs, give us JT Miller and two 1st

 

[Mr_Fun]

It's why MLSE is a problem and we need to find a way to destroy that corp.

I see MLSE as being a giant Initech (Office Space), run by a Bill Lumbergh. We need a "Milton".

 

[DarkKnight]

He's the head of the snake on the player side. People seem to forget that Marner was signed after Tavares, Nylander, and Matthews. Everyone got overpaid, so why wouldn't Marner?

He went to UFA at 26, then proceeded to fleece us again. He set the tone, extract every penny, up f***ing front too, and give up nothing in return.

 

[Metroid]

I see MLSE as being a giant Initech (Office Space), run by a Bill Lumbergh. We need a "Milton".

That is our curse. Don't care what anyone else

 

[DarkKnight]

Full passenger quote for context.

Still sounds bad overall to me.

Boarding Zone A Auston. And your man bag isn't a carry on.

 

[hfman]

they will never ever win while Matthews is on this team.

The players can't rally around him and in all honesty are probably turned off by his off-ice actions with his lack of emotion, lack of leadership and with his focus being on his radical dress code and outlandish appearance and being a celebrity instead of a dedicated hockey player who wants to win... the guy just doesn't care, it's clear as day. No doubt the rest of the dressing room is looking at him thinking, 'THIS guy is supposed to be our captain?'

they absolutely HAVE to trade him and get him off the team. It's the only way they can move forward, otherwise respectable players are going to continue to avoid this franchise

 

[hfman]

After giving him the C, I just can't see MLSE moving him prior to the end of his contract.. that would be admitting they made a mistake..best I can hope for is Matthews himself asks for a trade.
His "too many passengers" comment sickens me and makes me feel bad for the actual warriors on this team...it was eye opening and I believe that he is the root of the attitude problem.
Ah well.. hopefully he's on IR alot the next few years so I don't have to hear or look at him too much

you nailed it

he just blamed the rest of the team instead of himself

How did he ever become the captain.

Befuddling.

 

[Leaffan197703]

Strip the c make his life miracle to force him to leave