Since Auston Matthews went down with an injury, the Maple Leafs have shown a noticeably higher compete level, raising questions about why the team sometimes appears to play harder when their captain isn’t in the lineup.
Toronto picked up a big 4-2 win over a very strong Minnesota Wild team on Sunday night, leading to a few jokes about how the Maple Leafs might not be ready to fold the season. Only, it’s not really a joke. There should be questions about where this new effort level came from, and why it’s suddenly appeared since Matthews went down.
“The effort and compete levels are completely night and day since the captain left,” said JD Bunkis on a recent Leafs Talk podcast.
Do the Maple Leafs Lean Too Heavily on Matthews’ On-Ice Production?
One theory is simple: when Matthews is healthy, teammates defer to him both in terms of what he brings on the ice, and his leadership style off of it. This is not to suggest that all problems in Toronto should be blamed on Matthews. But, he’s been clearly frustrated this season and the way the Maple Leafs play kind of leans into his body language and personality.
On the ice, with a player capable of scoring 70 goals in a season, it’s easy to rely on him to be the difference-maker or the game-changer. When he’s out, that safety net disappears. It becomes incumbent upon everyone to step up.
We’ve seen flashes of this before. Earlier this season, Toronto arguably played one of its most complete games in a shutout win over the New Jersey Devils — a night when both Matthews and William Nylander were absent. The effort and intensity stood out, much like some of the performances since Matthews’ recent injury.
What About His Character?
It would be wild to question the character of veterans like John Tavares. But there are several other players on this team who can be inconsistent in their effort and competitiveness. Their work ethic, which can push the entire group to compete harder. Tavares is no longer the captain. What does that suggest?
Recent criticism about Matthews’ character has become a storyline. Some have gone so far as to say there’s a reason the team didn’t rush to his aid when he went down from the Radko Gudas hit. Others have suggested that if the shoe were on the other foot, Matthews wouldn’t have rushed over to defend a teammate. That feels like a stretch, but when a team’s commitment and effort are questioned publicly, it can create a sense of urgency — even guilt — that drives a short-term surge in competitiveness.
Still, the discussion itself highlights a lingering concern. Whether it’s simply a matter of players stepping up without their star or something deeper within the team dynamic, the Leafs’ performances without Matthews have certainly sparked debate.
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