Auston Matthews is still not playing as expected for the Leafs
There’s growing concern for the level of play of one of the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ top stars.
It goes without saying how disappointing the Leafs have been through the first two months of the season. The team is hanging around the bottom of the Eastern Conference, with an immense amount of inconsistency throughout the lineup. One player who has played far below expectations has been captain Auston Matthews.
Although he has missed some time already due to injury, Matthews has produced far below what many have expected of him over his career. Through 20 games, the Arizona native has scored 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points, while many believe he needs to find another level to get Toronto out of the dumps.
On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, former Leafs defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo joined the show to discuss Matthews’ struggles so far this season.
Carlo Colaiacovo: My concern about him is not being the player that everybody expects him to be. You know, they made the transition last year, giving him the captaincy…this was supposed to be his team leading the way. Production-wise, it’s been a struggle for him to do that. I know he’s been battling through injuries, but, you know, if he doesn’t want to make a big deal of what he’s dealing with by not revealing what it is he’s dealing with, why should everybody else make a big deal about what he’s dealing with and just expect that if he’s going to put the equipment on? He’s got to perform at the level that people expect him to perform at.
If Auston Matthews is supposed to be the captain of this team and one of the top five to ten players in this league, he’s got to find it within himself to lead on his own. It’s been a struggle. When your team loses, it’s a struggle for everybody. But William Nylander is finding a way. Auston Matthews needs to find a way. … If the Leafs are going to bounce their way back, Auston Matthews, good back or not, has to put the team on his back and lead them.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…