It seems Auston Matthews is back to being Auston Matthews.
Just last week, Matthews had more four-point games (two) than he did in the previous two seasons combined (one). Although being named the NHL’s “First Star” of the week does not carry the same weight as Matthews’ multiple Rocket Richard Trophies and MVP award, it at least serves as an acknowledgement that he has gotten his groove back. (Before Monday, Matthews had not received “First Star” honors since April 2024.)
“He’s just been everything we could ask for so far, and I expect he’ll continue it,” Toronto Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller told reporters. “I’m glad he’s getting rewarded for some points because we all were saying like, ‘Man, he’s playing really well. Hadn't had a lot of points.’ So, that’s just how it goes. You stick with it, and all of a sudden you get nine points in a week.”
There are plenty of theories on how Matthews has rejuvenated himself, from a longer off-season to his deployment under Hiller. On Monday’s episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared one he heard from teams that have scouted or played Toronto this season.
“The Maple Leafs are trying to do whatever they can to make Matthews carry the puck less,” Friedman said. “It’s very obvious they feel that the loss of (Mitch) Marner last year and everything he brought and all the skill he brought carrying the puck had a huge effect on their team, which it did.
“And they think that trading for (Kirill) Marchenko and (Easton) Cowan’s improvement, (Gavin) McKenna’s skill, (William) Nylander doing what Nylander does, although (Nylander and Matthews) don’t always play together, they really want Matthews to worry about being a shooter (and) a puck hunter, which he’s very good at. … They want other people doing the heavy lifting.”
At least analytically, that plan has not totally taken effect, as Matthews is still helping push the puck up ice at roughly the same rate as last season at five-on-five. His average of 11.6 possession-driving plays per game — a statistic that accounts for controlled entries, red-line carries and controlled exits, among other metrics — is only slightly lower than last season’s average of 12.7 per game.
Part of Marchenko’s appeal to the Maple Leafs was his transition ability. When both Marchenko and Matthews have been on the ice at five-on-five, Marchenko has carried the puck over either blue line or the red line 40 times — 10 more than Matthews. (They are expected to start on separate lines Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres; Nylander could join Matthews and Jack Roslovic on Toronto’s top line.)
Hiller, however, told reporters Tuesday that he has not directed Matthews to defer to his linemates.
“I want anybody to carry it through the neutral zone,” Hiller said. “It doesn’t matter to me. Somebody’s got to carry it through the neutral zone, so whoever’s open, usually that’s the way it works. Whoever’s got space and is open is going to be the guy carrying it. We certainly wouldn’t designate somebody to do it and somebody not to do it.”
While Matthews still handles the puck at a high rate, his physical engagement has been far more noticeable this season. He is recovering 8.14 loose pucks per game at five-on-five in the offensive zone, fifth most among 352 qualified forwards (minimum five games played) and up from last season’s 5.82 per game. Matthews’ 3.43 puck-battle wins per game also rank fifth.
That doggedness was on display against the Nashville Predators last week when Matthews’ work along the boards set up forward Gavin McKenna’s first career goal.
“I feel like I’ve put in a lot of really good work over the months and just continue to progress in different areas with the rehab (and my) regular strength training,” Matthews told reporters. “(I was) just trying to feel as good as possible come training camp, and I feel like I did that.”
Following his two-point performance against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, Matthews has recorded 12 points over a five-game span for the first time since February 2024. That season, he finished with 107 points, including a franchise-record 69 goals.
“With the ups and downs personally he’s had over the last couple years,” Maple Leafs forward John Tavares told reporters, “in some ways I think (it was) a bit of a blessing in disguise to get the seven months he got to almost start from scratch in a way to build himself back up and work on some things and see how he can improve and use it as a chance to approach things maybe in a little different way.”
All stats via Sportlogiq
