The first six games have given the Toronto Maple Leafs plenty to like, but nothing stands out more than what Auston Matthews is doing right now.
Coming into the season, the hope was simple: Matthews needed a bounce-back after two seasons that fell well short of his standard. Before preseason, he said he was feeling better than he had in some time health-wise, and early returns back that up. He looks healthy again, and that has put him right back where he belongs as a dangerous offensive threat.
The numbers support the eye test. Matthews is tied for sixth in the league with Nathan MacKinnon in points with 10, and seven of those have come at even strength. At five-on-five, he’s second in even-strength primary assists behind Connor McDavid, and his 18 individual scoring chances for rank fifth overall.
It’s still a small sample, but the underlying data points to a player who is once again operating like one of the league’s best. A big part of that comes from the way the Leafs are using him, and from the players around him. Toronto’s system has allowed the group to strike quickly off the rush, work effectively in the cycle and stay on the same page.
That matters, especially with all the offseason change around Matthews. The new look on his line - with Jack Roslovic and Kirill Marchenko - already seems to fit.
They’ve been controlling offensive-zone time when they’re out there, and even if the goals haven’t fully piled up yet, the chemistry is obvious. For a line that was just put together, the results are encouraging.
With a minimum of 40 minutes played, the Marchenko-Matthews-Roslovic line owns a 68.3% expected goals percentage and a 61.7% Corsi for percentage. The finishing may still be catching up, but the chances are there and the pressure is real. If that keeps going, the goals should follow.
What’s been even more noticeable, though, is the change in Matthews’ game along the boards. That’s the part that jumps out most right now.
He isn’t just drifting into open ice and waiting for chances to come to him. He’s fighting for pucks, using his size to shield defenders and creating plays out of those battles.
There was one sequence against the Nashville Predators that made the point clearly. On Gavin McKenna’s first NHL goal, Roslovic kept the puck in, Matthews got to it in the corner and Steven Stamkos was on him.
Matthews shrugged him off, won the battle, kept possession and set up McKenna for the goal. The shot itself was impressive, but the bigger takeaway was the way Matthews powered through contact to make the play happen.
Another clip showed a different side of the same player. William Nylander worked the puck along the boards and eventually found Matthews, who had two defenders on him.
Matthews quickly slipped a precise pass to Roslovic, who finished for the tying goal. It wasn’t a brutal power play through traffic, but it was sharp, fast and decisive.
That blend - strength, vision and quick reaction - has always been part of Matthews’ toolkit. Now it’s all showing up together.
This doesn’t look like the version fans have seen over the last couple of years. It looks like a new Matthews, and maybe even a better one than the season when he scored 69 goals and had 107 points.
For Toronto, that’s the best news of all. The real Matthews is back, and the next chapter should be fun.
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 🡒]