After scoring four goals in his NHL debut and 10 points in his first six games, Auston Matthews has gone goalless and registered only two assists in the last nine games.
The recent struggles of the 2016 top overall pick are hardly a reason for the members of Leafs Nation to rip off the Matthews nameplates and sow James Reimer back on their #34 jerseys or to question whether Toronto should have taken Jets winger Patrik Laine (who leads the league with 11 goals and all NHL rookies with 16 points) first overall.
“(Matthews) is going to be a star, in my opinion. Starting off (with four goals was) probably the worst thing that could have happened to him, because now everyone expects four goals every night.… Flames Team President and former Leafs GM Brian Burke said on TSN 1050 Radio on Monday.
I think centers are more difficult to find than wingers. I love (Patrik) Laine, but I think Auston Matthews was the right pick.… Burke said. “Any team that had the first overall pick would’ve taken Auston Matthews. The notion that it’s easy to play this league -- it’s not easy to play in this league when you are 25 – when you’re 18 and your previous experience is the Swiss Elite League, I got news for you, that’s a major step.…
After 15 games, Matthews has 12 points and is on pace to score 66 points, which would exceed the totals put up by top picks Connor McDavid (although McDavid averaged over a point-per-game and missed 37 games due to injury), Nathan MacKinnon and John Tavares in their first year.
If you compare the start of last season for Buffalo’s Jack Eichel and Matthews year thus far, the Leafs rookie is slightly ahead of the Sabres center's pace, who he has often been compared to.
Eichel (who played for a Buffalo club that finished 30th the previous year and had only veteran Ryan O’Reilly to deflect the focus of attention) had six goals and four assists through 15 games and during that first month had a stretch with one point in seven games. The 2015 second overall pick ended the season with 24 goals and 32 assists in 81 games.
Following his hot start, most opponents have concentrated their efforts on shutting down Matthews or matching their top centers against him, which has freed up veterans Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak to get more scoring opportunities.
On Saturday, the 19-year-old was matched against Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin.
“You saw when Connor McDavid came (to Toronto) and they put Nazem Kadri on and said ‘ok, stop this guy’, you can see what one player who’s determined to stop (someone) can do to you.… Burke said. “Even though he is struggling offensively, it’s only a matter of time and it’s going to be ugly when he does for the teams they play against.
The young center leads the Leafs with 58 shots on goal, has shown growth and an aptitude for the defensive responsibilities of playing up the middle and continues to get good scoring chances, which means that eventually Matthews will find the mark and alleviate the concerns of the Toronto faithful.
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The Maple Leafs practiced at MasterCard Center on Monday without forward Zach Hyman, who scored the club’s only goal in their 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, but the winger is expected to be in the lineup when Toronto takes on the Nashville Predators at Air Canada Center on Tuesday.
The Leafs defensive pairings were once again shifted at practice on Monday, as Nikita Zaitsev was moved back to the top pairing with Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner and Roman Polak and Martin Marincin and Matt Hunwick made up the other pairs, while Connor Carrick and Frank Corrado appeared to be the tandem that will be scratched against the Predators.
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Listen to the Blue N’ White Tonight Podcast with radio host and author Jim Lang, the co-writer of the books "Shift Work" and "Bleeding Blue"... biographies of Toronto Maple Leafs greats Tie Domi and Wendel Clark.
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