Something is wrong with Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans are getting worried.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAuston Matthews, the captain, their beloved number 34, doesn't seem quite right.
Anecdotally, he's just not being as assertive. And even in his passivity, he's struggling.
Watch this clip from Tuesday night's game:
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That doesn't particularly look like one of the world's best players.
The stats reflect a slightly slow start to the season. Matthews has averaged more than a point per game every year since his second season, but this year, he's got 17 points in 20 games.
He's also on pace for a career-high in giveaways, currently averaging more than one a game for the first time in his NHL career.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe stats aren't terrible. There are many worse players in the league than Matthews.
But the Maple Leafs count on Matthews being transcendent, and right now, he's falling a bit short of that.
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It's not clear whether anything specific is to blame, or if it's just a bit of a rut that Matthews can get out of.
But Toronto needs him to figure it out if the Maple Leafs are to reach the heights they want to reach.
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