Maple Leafs May Finally Be Giving Auston Matthews What He

We can have a little fun with the numbers. Auston Matthews has four goals and six assists in six games, and if he kept that pace up for a full season, we'd be talking about numbers that would make even the most optimistic Maple Leafs fan sit up and take notice. But let's not get carried away with the 140-point projections just yet. It's October, and hockey has a way of humbling everybody who gets too excited too early.

Something more interesting is happening with Matthews, though, and it might matter far more than a projected point total. He looks like a player who is getting comfortable again.

It's About More Than Scoring Goals for Matthews.

For a couple of seasons, Matthews hasn't quite looked like the player who scored 69 goals in 2023-24. Injuries have been part of that story, and we shouldn't pretend they don't matter. It's hard to be your best when your body isn't cooperating. But there's another question worth asking. Are we putting our best players in positions where their greatest strengths can make the biggest difference?

Matthews has always played a responsible game without the puck. That's one of the things that makes him such a good player. But his greatest offensive weapon is still that shot, along with his ability to find space and get the puck away before a goalie can react. If we spend too much time asking him to do everything, we risk taking away some of what makes him special. That doesn't mean Matthews should get a free pass defensively. It means the Maple Leafs need to be smart about how they use him.

The Coach Has a Part to Play in Matthews’ Success.

Early numbers suggest Jim Hiller is giving Matthews more offensive-zone starts than he did under Craig Berube. If that trend continues, it could help Matthews spend more time doing what he does best. And there's a difference between giving a player favourable opportunities and simply making life easy. Matthews still has to win battles, find open ice, make good decisions, and finish his chances.

The other part of this is the players around him. William Nylander, Kirill Marchenko, and Gavin McKenna give Toronto some interesting offensive possibilities. When opponents have more than one dangerous player to worry about, Matthews may find a little more room to operate.

That's where coaching decisions come in. It's not enough to put talented players on the same line and hope everything works. The Maple Leafs need to find combinations that complement one another and give their best players opportunities to succeed.

The Real Test Is Still Ahead for the Maple Leafs.

We need to be careful about drawing big conclusions from six games. Matthews' shooting percentage is up, but that can change quickly. Opponents will adjust, the schedule will get tougher, and there will be nights when the puck simply won't go in. Still, there's reason for optimism.

The Maple Leafs don't need Matthews to score 140 points. They need him healthy, confident, involved, and in positions where he can influence games. If the coaching staff can help him do that while keeping his defensive responsibilities intact, Toronto will be a better team. And perhaps that's the lesson here. Sometimes, helping a star get back to his best isn't about asking him to do more.

It's about making sure we're not getting in the way of what he already does best.