The Maple Leafs’ approach to Auston Matthews is turning heads, and not because they want him doing even more.
According to Elliotte Friedman on his Thanksgiving edition of 32 Thoughts, Toronto’s real plan is built around getting Matthews the puck in the right spots - and keeping him from having to shoulder too much of the playmaking load himself.
“From what I have seen and other teams have told me - the Maple Leafs are doing whatever they can to have Matthews carry the puck less.”
He added: “They want Matthews to be a seer, a puck hunter, he's very responsible defensively. If they are to be successful, they have to have him carry the puck less. This talk about Matthews carrying the puck more, they may say it but we're seeing what they really want to do.”
That lines up with the early returns. Matthews has looked revitalized this season, piling up 10 points through his first six games, stringing together a four-game point streak, and skating with the kind of confidence that had been missing for stretches over the past two years.
The help around him matters, too. Kirill Marchenko, Jack Roslovic, Gavin McKenna, and others have all played a role in getting Matthews back to the level the Leafs want from him.
Friedman pointed to that support structure as part of the plan, saying: “Trading for Marchenko, the growing up of Cowan, the putting of Nylander a bit and now McKenna getting confident.”
The idea is simple: Matthews doesn’t need to grind through every phase of the offense himself. Toronto wants him winning battles low, finding open ice, and letting his shot do the damage once he gets there. With McKenna, Marchenko, and Nylander around him, he can spend less energy forcing the issue and more time in the spots where he’s most dangerous.
So far, that blueprint has worked. Matthews is still touching the puck plenty and still driving play, but the sequences are cleaner and faster - a quick push through the neutral zone, a pass off to a teammate, and then the attack takes shape from there.
That shift has produced a striking stat: Matthews has more four-point games through the first six games of the 2026-27 season than he had in the entire two years under Craig Berube.
Last season, he had the most assists from Max Domi of all people, and he ended up with 12 different players feeding him, though Nylander and John Tavares were the only real offensive drivers among that group.
The Leafs’ goal now is to settle into a more stable formula for who gets Matthews the puck. If that happens, they won’t need to keep cycling through combinations to find the right fit. The team already seems to know which group works: Nylander, McKenna, Marchenko, and Matthews operating in a structure built to keep him in attack mode.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Suddenly Face A Blue Line Problem Without Chris Tanev
The Maple Leafs have had to reshuffle their blue line after veteran defenseman T.J. Tanev left Saturday nights win over the Avalanche in the first period with an upper-body injury. Toronto has since placed him on injured reserve, a development that forces the team to lean on its depth a little earlier than planned and puts added pressure on a defense group that has already been working through adjustments under coach Jim Hiller.
Marshall Rifai was recalled from the Marlies to give the Maple Leafs another option on the back end, while Nick Blankenburg has been asked to take on a bigger role in Tanevs absence. For a team that values stability on defense, the mix-and-match look is not ideal, and it leaves Toronto waiting to see how quickly it can settle its pairings once Tanev is available again. [Read more 🡒]
Auston Matthews May Be Unlocking Something New Under Jim Hiller
Auston Matthews has wasted little time giving the Maple Leafs a reason to look twice at what has changed around him. In a short run under Jim Hiller, Matthews has already produced two four-point games, a burst that stands out next to the more limited high-end scoring he had across two seasons under Craig Berube. The sample is tiny, but it is hard not to notice the difference when one of the leagues most dangerous finishers starts flashing that kind of ceiling again.
The explanation may not be simple, and it probably is not just about Matthews suddenly seeing the ice differently. Coaching style, ice time, linemates and power-play usage all come into the conversation here, because those are the details that can either feed a scorer or starve him of chances. The Leafs are still early in this evaluation, but if Hiller is opening up new offensive lanes for Matthews, it is the sort of adjustment that could matter well beyond a six-game snapshot. [Read more 🡒]
William Nylander Is Driving Why The Maple Leafs Look Dangerous Again
William Nylander keeps giving the Maple Leafs the kind of offensive push that changes the feel of a game before it even settles in. In Torontos 6-3 win over Colorado, he was central to everything, helping fuel a stretch that has the Leafs looking far more dangerous early in the season and making life easier for teammates who have been able to build off that momentum.
The scoring burst also fit neatly into the bigger arc of Nylanders career in Toronto, where his production has become the kind of steady force this team can lean on. With the way he is driving play right now, the Leafs are getting both immediate results and a reminder that their top-end skill can tilt a night quickly when he is rolling. [Read more 🡒]