Auston Matthews Discussion Thread

[djdev]

It would have been easy to move Willy up and Kerfoot up and at least have 1 dominate line .. Zach is a tropper but can't play on 1 leg .. mitch can't do it in hard and fast playoff games on top lines

ye i was very disappointed with the rigidness to change up that line, especially with how liberal keefe was during the regular season with experimenting with line combos.

 

[djdev]

Could the fact he has played with Mitchy the last 2 playoffs factor into his lack of scoring? He was with Willy the first 3 years and seemed pretty good against Boston and Washington...although not in the game 7's against the Bruins.

he was very good vs columbus. he had 6 points in 5 games and often dominated.
well, technically 6 points in 4 games..then whatever that was from the team in game 5.

 

[binop7]

That wrist injury will be recurring I'm sure. Probably related to the amount of whip he gets in his shot. I'd like to see him work on a more reliable one timer.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

he was very good vs columbus. he had 6 points in 5 games and often dominated.
well, technically 6 points in 4 games..then whatever that was from the team in game 5.

Game 5 counts just like game 5, 6, and 7 counted this year. Matthews has like what 3 or 4 points in 7 potential close out games (8 points for Nylander by the way). Him and Marner have shown so far that they are not clutch enough when the lights shine the brightest.

 

[Stephen]

Game 5 counts just like game 5, 6, and 7 counted this year. Matthews has like what 3 or 4 points in 7 potential close out games (8 points for Nylander by the way). Him and Marner have shown so far that they are not clutch enough when the lights shine the brightest.

The organization might want to reconsider the Batman and Robin duo in playoff close out situations for a number of reasons. One, spread out the wealth on different lines and make it difficult for the other team to focus on one. Second, maybe two guys who seem to have the yips shouldn't be thrown out there to lean on each other.

 

[Stonehands1990]

The organization might want to reconsider the Batman and Robin duo in playoff close out situations for a number of reasons. One, spread out the wealth on different lines and make it difficult for the other team to focus on one. Second, maybe two guys who seem to have the yips shouldn't be thrown out there to lean on each other.

Spreading out the talent and feasting on matchups is 100% the call. The question is will Keefe wake up from his outdated top 6 bottom 6 configuration?

 

[Stephen]

Spreading out the talent and feasting on matchups is 100% the call. The question is will Keefe wake up from his outdated top 6 bottom 6 configuration?

Keefe doesn't even have a top 6 bottom 6 mentality. He just plays the big line till the wheels fall off and every else is just in a blender.

 

[djdev]

Game 5 counts just like game 5, 6, and 7 counted this year. Matthews has like what 3 or 4 points in 7 potential close out games (8 points for Nylander by the way). Him and Marner have shown so far that they are not clutch enough when the lights shine the brightest.

hard to score when nobody else on your line can do anything. marner in game 7 might have well stayed on the bench. the canadians didnt even have to cover him or hyman pretty much all series long. point is matthews was good last year, and being upset about this years performance doesnt change that.

 

[Stonehands1990]

Keefe doesn't even have a top 6 bottom 6 mentality. He just plays the big line till the wheels fall off and every else is just in a blender.

Actively sabotaging the team. 12-15-88 is going? Let’s break them up and put 71 in. Such a horrible coach

 

[Stephen]

Actively sabotaging the team. 12-15-88 is going? Let’s break them up and put 71 in. Such a horrible coach

It was sad when they asked him why Nylander wasn't getting more ice time while having his scoring breakout. Two ways to think about those results. Maybe Nylander needs to play a little more. But maybe Matthews and Marner could have benefitted from playing less than Victor Hedman minutes because it's not normal to play forwards 25 minutes a night...

 

[Stonehands1990]

It was sad when they asked him why Nylander wasn't getting more ice time while having his scoring breakout. Two ways to think about those results. Maybe Nylander needs to play a little more. But maybe Matthews and Marner could have benefitted from playing less than Victor Hedman minutes because it's not normal to play forwards 25 minutes a night...

Another huge Keefe folly. I noticed this in the CBJ series and the recent one. Keefe runs players into the ground and then everyone wonders why they can’t perform. Players visibly tired at the beginning of their shifts

 

[Griffin76]

Matthews deferred to Marner and Hyman way too much.

It seemed like puck on stick time was

Marner 60%
Hyman 30%
Matthew's 10%

When it should've been

Marner 50%
Matthews 45%
Hyman 5%

 

[Morbo]

I'd like to see Matthews play with someone who is also a strong finisher. It would open up some ice for him if there was someone else on his line who was a shooting threat.

 

[Dreakmur]

I'd like to see Matthews play with someone who is also a strong finisher. It would open up some ice for him if there was someone else on his line who was a shooting threat.

Gotta go Matthews-Nylander and Tavares-Marner next year.

Balances the ice time and spreads out the talent, which gets Marner away from tough matchups.

 

[Gabriel426]

Gotta go Matthews-Nylander and Tavares-Marner next year.

Balances the ice time and spreads out the talent, which gets Marner away from tough matchups.

I think they need to split all three 10mil plus players up, let them earn those 10mil plus by making 1mil players playing like 3mil players or else what’s the point of them having 10mil plus contracts.
If Marner gets 80pts while making Soup and Engvall into 40pts players, that’s huge for the Leafs.
Same with JT, if he can channel what he did in Islanders when he made grinders into top 6 players, don’t see why he can’t do that as a Leafs.
Let AM makes another winger into 20 goals scorer like he did with Brown, Hyman, Kap and AJ.

 

[Stonehands1990]

I think they need to split all three 10mil plus players up, let them earn those 10mil plus by making 1mil players playing like 3mil players or else what’s the point of them having 10mil plus contracts.
If Marner gets 80pts while making Soup and Engvall into 40pts players, that’s huge for the Leafs.
Same with JT, if he can channel what he did in Islanders when he made grinders into top 6 players, don’t see why he can’t do that as a Leafs.
Let AM makes another winger into 20 goals scorer like he did with Brown, Hyman, Kap and AJ.

12-34-88 - Still a bonafide 1 line
65-91-11 - Tavares can play his high end grinder style, shuts down anyone
89-15-16 - feasting on lower comp, 16 feeds 89s big shot
47-77-19

 

[hockeyes]

Matthews has a lot of growing up to do. He comes off as an angsty teenager. Ready to roll his eyes and walk away the moment things don't go his way.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

He choked. Just froze right up again in the playoffs. If i could only keep 1 player of the top 3 contracts it would be him. He needs to be nastier come playoffs or he’ll win nothing. Just saying

 

[Notsince67]

Gotta go Matthews-Nylander and Tavares-Marner next year.

Balances the ice time and spreads out the talent, which gets Marner away from tough matchups.

It will likely be the other way, shifting the qoc away from Matthew's like it did last time.

 

[Dreakmur]

It will likely be the other way, shifting the qoc away from Matthew's like it did last time.

Works out even better.

 

[Garthinater]

I think they need to split all three 10mil plus players up, let them earn those 10mil plus by making 1mil players playing like 3mil players or else what’s the point of them having 10mil plus contracts.
If Marner gets 80pts while making Soup and Engvall into 40pts players, that’s huge for the Leafs.
Same with JT, if he can channel what he did in Islanders when he made grinders into top 6 players, don’t see why he can’t do that as a Leafs.
Let AM makes another winger into 20 goals scorer like he did with Brown, Hyman, Kap and AJ.

Its funny that babs never loaded the lines and was lambasted for it.

Now keefe stacks the lines and everyone wants us to spread out the talent.

Maybe babs wasn't as bad as everyone thought after all.

 

[Garthinater]

The matthews deal is what really set the team back.

How do you pay someone with a career high of 63 points and 2 points in his last 7 PO games 11.34 x 5? He's the 3rd highest cap hit with the shortest term of anyone in the top 25. His contract is short, front loaded and full of signing bonuses. Did matthews concede anything during negotiations?

Marner had just finished a 94 point season (highest by a leaf in ~20 years). He was also our best playoff producer. He saw his teammate get an insane deal after accomplishing less. Obviously marner is going to ask for similar money.

Auston in big games:
2021 game 7: 1 assist
2020 game 5: 0 points
2019 game 7: 0 points
2018 game 7: 0 points

If you are going to bend the team over backwards, at least show up during elimination games.

Matthews has shown nothing to indicate that he is a team player.

 

[Gabriel426]

Its funny that babs never loaded the lines and was lambasted for it.

Now keefe stacks the lines and everyone wants us to spread out the talent.

Maybe babs wasn't as bad as everyone thought after all.

Yep, funny how Babs preached balance and depth scoring, stretch passes….there will be pain….
I think Babs was stubborn in his ways and just horrible with the Spezza thing but he knows what it takes to win.

 

[Metroid]

Its funny that babs never loaded the lines and was lambasted for it.

Now keefe stacks the lines and everyone wants us to spread out the talent.

Maybe babs wasn't as bad as everyone thought after all.

Or maybe there's a middle ground.
Why is everything here either A or B, 1 or 2, black or white....

Always shades of grey. Both coaches f***ed up by sticking to one thing.

 

[socko]

Would love to see Auston play a year with Marchand and Pasta to see if he really is a franchise center or just an elite goal scoring winger playing center.