What's wrong with Auston Matthews?
- Thread starter ZBBM
- Start date
Whatever it is (and I'm also thinking back primarily but maybe wrist too?), he looks a lot like he did the year he "only" scored 40 goals. He seems to be shying away from many puck battles, not really able to make space for or get off his great wrist shot all that often, fumbling pucks, seems hesitant to shoot (especially one timers) on the PP...I hope some of it is just rust from the layoff but I think it's more than that. Unfortunately.
Ozzie
Member
Whats wrong with Matthews now or over the past 8 years?
Whats wrong with Matthews over the past 8 years is he normally is ambivalent and was coddled in an organization that gave him top pay without demanding perseverance towards winning. That is, winning wasn't a "must" in the culture. So whenever situations require that extra 5% to persevere over opponents, he and his teammates can't summon up the extra drive.
But the pay is still tops in the league. The sponsorships are still tops in the league. The fan adulation is tops in the league.
Yet the team results don't match that. And others of Matthews ilk have carried the team on their back to win series after series. Which Matthews has not done.
Yet.
Whats wrong with Matthews over the past 8 years is he normally is ambivalent and was coddled in an organization that gave him top pay without demanding perseverance towards winning. That is, winning wasn't a "must" in the culture. So whenever situations require that extra 5% to persevere over opponents, he and his teammates can't summon up the extra drive.
But the pay is still tops in the league. The sponsorships are still tops in the league. The fan adulation is tops in the league.
Yet the team results don't match that. And others of Matthews ilk have carried the team on their back to win series after series. Which Matthews has not done.
Yet.
Highlander
Active member
Whey do they win more without him?
azzurri63
Well-known member
I agree with you 100%. Said it long ago Dubas caved in to the core youngsters before they won anything. I used to hold Matthews up there with the likes of MacKinnon and McDavid but he's nowhere in their class. For me it's the too many nights off where he's barely noticeable. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt this year with possible injury concerns but no different other years. He gets on a roll he's scoring on a nightly basis but there are times he just doesn't have it and looks average for a number of games. For a guy his size he should be dominating defenders but that's one part of his game that's not there. Again I've said it before grit and heart you either have or you don't. The 2 stars mentioned above if you watch many Oiler or Av games they are at least noticeable even when they aren't putting up 2 or 3 points. They compete most shifts.
Guilt Trip
Well-known member
Andy007
Active member
And yet McDavid has won exactly the same amount of Cups as Matthews, all while playing MUCH easier opponents in the playoffs.
Maybe this is convenient and maybe I'm looking for excuses, but I really believe that the new playoff format, combined with the ridiculously tough division, has only worked to construct this narrative about the Leafs being monumental playoff chokers when, in reality, nearly all of their 1st (and the lone 2nd) round appearances (shove it Montreal), can be equated to Conference Final showdowns within the old format (and all going to game 7, to boot).
Ozzie
Member
I love Matthews and enjoy his skill and beauty of his goals. He is spectacular. And I think he could be significantly a greater player had he been immersed in better winning culture over the past 8 years to nurture his growth.
I also enjoy Zegras' beautiful goals too. Its is not the same as winning.
Even Joe Bowen said it in an interview a couple of years back when the host was pushing him to state that Matthews is "the best Leaf ever". Better than Sittler and Gilmour etc.. and Bowen said we don't know yet because we need to see if he can win.
Sports is about winning. Not cookies and apples. If you can't win, you're not great. Your not the best.
azzurri63
Well-known member
Oh I hate the playoff format as well but whether you think the Leafs have it tougher bottom line is that haven't been able to get over that hurdle and then comes the yearly questions about the Leaf core not coming up big. Hey I get it the playoffs are another animal but you have to find that next gear to get you through the tough hard checking playoffs. Leaf core has not and thus we don't get through the first round. Maybe this year they finally got it figured out. Until then the team and it's core will always be scrutinized.
azzurri63
Well-known member
I believe that last part to a certain extent. The Stanley Cup is probably the hardest trophy to win. If Matthews and Marner produced each playoff and got us through a couple series or even produced but lost I think most of us fans would be ok with that. They haven't come up big and for the most part disappeared. Sittler never won a cup and I believe Dougie only had 1 with the Flames and he had a point a game in that playoff year. He had better playoff numbers with the Leafs and no cup. The problem with the Leafs over the last few years is depth and it's kinda showing that now albeit with some injuries. I'm not going to use that as an excuse because the guys out weren't exactly lighting it up before injured. If the top 5 don't score much it's tough because the bottom 6 for the last few years has been atrocious. That's been the issue come spring.
IJustLurkHere
Member
Professional sports is about entertainment, so the viewer gets to decide what they prioritise. The standards by which you decide to judge are arbitrary, to be decided by you. And so, if you choose to judge an individuals contribution to team sports by something that is clearly, obviously beyond their sole control, that is your right as a fan. Subscribers to the "They're only great if they win" trope will certainly have plenty of company.
But it's ridiculous.
Guru Tugginmypuddah
Well-known member
He does look a little "off". He also does have three goals and seven points in his last five games.
Zee
Well-known member
As far as I'm concerned, Matthews has until April to get to his old self. Nothing else matters
I sure hope we get more than his "old self" in the playoffs, because the results up to now haven't been very good. What have they scored, 1 goal in each game 7 they've lost over the past 4 or 5 years? Not sure how many of those (if any) were scored by Matthews. These guys (I'm including Marner, Nylander and Tavares) have been shut down when it counted too many times - it's not just random chance or running into a hot goaltender.
Until Matthews (and/or the rest of the core) come up big in those situations, or "put the team on their shoulders" and dominate a playoff series or two, the doubts will persist - and rightly so.
Until Matthews (and/or the rest of the core) come up big in those situations, or "put the team on their shoulders" and dominate a playoff series or two, the doubts will persist - and rightly so.
He was nursing something from preseason.
He's been back 5 games. 1.4ppg in those 5 games (too small of a sample size to be meaningful) which is .05 below his career high.
Beyond the stats, he doesn't appear to be 100% back. But bounce back from such an injury isn't like flicking a light switch. Takes time.
I think handwringing at this point is premature.
Duly noted. Lets give it some time and see how it goes.
He's been back 5 games. 1.4ppg in those 5 games (too small of a sample size to be meaningful) which is .05 below his career high.
Beyond the stats, he doesn't appear to be 100% back. But bounce back from such an injury isn't like flicking a light switch. Takes time.
I think handwringing at this point is premature.
Duly noted. Lets give it some time and see how it goes.
Ozzie
Member
In addition to taking time coming back from injury, it's also possible Matthews doesn't like the Berube system. It's low event, lower offense more team oriented with more grit and checking and perhaps Matthews is frustrated with that. He hasn't really looked happy all season. And definitely the past several games the entire teams energy has dropped since his return.
I'm not saying this is the reason what's up with Matthews.....just throwing it out there that it's possible this is not just a physical issue, but something related to AM34 jiving with the new system.
I'm not saying this is the reason what's up with Matthews.....just throwing it out there that it's possible this is not just a physical issue, but something related to AM34 jiving with the new system.