Auston Matthews Thread

[A1LeafNation]

One guy carries the team on his back while everyone else is cold, the other guys are hot garbage on the ice and had a meeting with the coach. Somehow the second of those two is leadership.

Where was he Saturday?

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Where was he Saturday?

oh no, he had a bad game (along with the entire team) after a stretch of 16 points in 10 games. better complain about it

 

[biotk]

I thought the critics of Matthews would be ecstatic that he led the team in hits over the past two games (with 7 - 3 against Boston and 4 against the Pens)

 

[Legendary]

All evidence points to Matthews being the locker room problem. His feud with Babcock has essentially taken the team hostage. Marner, Nylander and Barrie have followed suit and probably a few others, while Tavares and Rielly are striving for peace. Lou kept everyone in line (including Babcock) and Dubas handed all the power to
The kids. What a mess!

 

[Notsince67]

One guy carries the team on his back while everyone else is cold, the other guys are hot garbage on the ice and had a meeting with the coach. Somehow the second of those two is leadership.

Carrying on ones back usually denotes going somewhere. The leafs are on a losing streak.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Carrying on ones back usually denotes going somewhere. The leafs are on a losing streak.

So you wouldn't say McDavid/Drai carried the Oilers on their back last year? Sometimes you put up 4 points and you lose against Chicago.

 

[HomerJLeafs]

All evidence points to Matthews being the locker room problem. His feud with Babcock has essentially taken the team hostage. Marner, Nylander and Barrie have followed suit and probably a few others, while Tavares and Rielly are striving for peace. Lou kept everyone in line (including Babcock) and Dubas handed all the power to
The kids. What a mess!

BABCOCK IS NOT THE RIGHT COACH FOR THIS TEAM

this team was going nowhere with Lou (zaitsev marleau)
and its not on Matthews that our special teams suck also its not on Matthews that Babcock had Marleau and Hyman on the ice at the end of game7

 

[Notsince67]

So you wouldn't say McDavid/Drai carried the Oilers on their back last year? Sometimes you put up 4 points and you lose against Chicago.

Carried where?

 

[Gabriel426]

All evidence points to Matthews being the locker room problem. His feud with Babcock has essentially taken the team hostage. Marner, Nylander and Barrie have followed suit and probably a few others, while Tavares and Rielly are striving for peace. Lou kept everyone in line (including Babcock) and Dubas handed all the power to
The kids. What a mess!

Where did you get this from?

 

[Stephen]

All signs point to Matthews being a work in progress in rounding out his game but is basically the real deal.

 

[hotpaws]

Where did you get this from?

He pulled it out of his ass .

 

[Welsh Maple Leaf]

Of all the issues with this club. Auston f***ing Matthews is one of the silver linings.

He is not the problem but one of the solutions.

 

[Hustlr]

Just keep trucking big guy!

 

[horner]

It ok to be a homer but my guess is that someone who thinks they are equal in value just doesnt watch McDavid enough. Dont get me wrong. AM has a very unique release and he is definitely a high end elite player. McDavid on the other hand does things I cant even understand like cross overs from his heels and scissor twists from his hips that make him the most deceptive skater in determining direction that I have ever seen. Not ready to give him goat status yet but Jesus...he is the epitome of generational player definition.

And non stop engine

 

[A1LeafNation]

oh no, he had a bad game (along with the entire team) after a stretch of 16 points in 10 games. better complain about it

So points = A?

Surprised Kessel didn't have a C then.

 

[biotk]

All evidence points to Matthews being the locker room problem. His feud with Babcock has essentially taken the team hostage. Marner, Nylander and Barrie have followed suit and probably a few others, while Tavares and Rielly are striving for peace. Lou kept everyone in line (including Babcock) and Dubas handed all the power to
The kids. What a mess!

Matthews sounds like he is leading the locker room solution to me.

 

[Legendary]

BABCOCK IS NOT THE RIGHT COACH FOR THIS TEAM

this team was going nowhere with Lou (zaitsev marleau)
and its not on Matthews that our special teams suck also its not on Matthews that Babcock had Marleau and Hyman on the ice at the end of game7

That’s not up to Matthews, he has to learn to play through that.

 

[Legendary]

Matthews sounds like he is leading the locker room solution to me.

By being entitled? He was not like this his first season which was why we were more successful.

 

[Stephen]

By being entitled? He was not like this his first season which was why we were more successful.

In hindsight we also had a better mix of personnel which allowed the Leafs to play a more balanced game, which has atrophied into that Yakupov style stick checking flyby forecheck the past 12 months.

 

[biotk]

By being entitled? He was not like this his first season which was why we were more successful.

Matthews doesn't like Babs - hasn't for years - and he shouldn't. But whether Babs keeps his job will depend of the performance of the team.

If Matthews (and Nylander) had played half as bad as Reilly and Tavares (both pre- and post-injury) this season, Babcock's job would not be on the line right now because he would have been fired weeks ago. If Rielly and Tavares had played half as well as Matthews (and Nylander) this season Babcock's job would probably not be at risk right now. Matthews has had a few bad games this season. Rielly and Tavares have had nothing but bad games.

 

[egd27]

One guy carries the team on his back while everyone else is cold, the other guys are hot garbage on the ice and had a meeting with the coach. Somehow the second of those two is leadership.

Carries the the team on his back? Isn't that expression usually used for outstanding efforts when a team wins? i.e. Messier SC in New York or Roy in 93.

 

[Faltorvo]

Don’t know anyone’s motivations. But wouldn’t it be fair to say the entire team has a sloppy attitude about defensive coverage and puck recovery in general?

The gap control and decision making on that first Marchand goal by Morgan Rielly was so abysmal. Tries to keep Marchand to the outside, gets beat to the outside for a scoring chance and instead of playing the man kind of sloppily goes for the loose puck (which was out of reach) and gives Marchand all the space in the world to get the rebound.

almost this entire roster is pain/discomfort adverse

 

[A1LeafNation]

Matthews doesn't like Babs - hasn't for years - and he shouldn't. But whether Babs keeps his job will depend of the performance of the team.

If Matthews (and Nylander) had played half as bad as Reilly and Tavares (both pre- and post-injury) this season, Babcock's job would not be on the line right now because he would have been fired weeks ago. If Rielly and Tavares had played half as well as Matthews (and Nylander) this season Babcock's job would probably not be at risk right now. Matthews has had a few bad games this season. Rielly and Tavares have had nothing but bad games.

Doesn't matter. I hate Babcock but loved the character that Rielly and Tavares showed here.

When a member of you team is going through the shittiest point in their life, you f***ing rise above your petty shit and lift them up.

 

[biotk]

Doesn't matter. I hate Babcock but loved the character that Rielly and Tavares showed here.

When a member of you team is going through the ****tiest point in their life, you ****ing rise above your petty **** and lift them up.

If Babcock's team not playing well is the shittiest point in his life then he has lived an idyllic life. I don't care. If my job was on the line because the people working for me were not performing (perhaps because of my leadership, perhaps not) I would prefer that they start to perform at their job over coming to visit me.

 

[Faltorvo]

This isn't on just Austin.

He is a player who is notorious around the NHL for almost taking it personally when stripped of the puck which is a good mind set.

As Stephen point out above, its the entire team.

For me, thats a clear indication the team has lost faith in the system in place. That can be separate and above losing faith in a coach.

There has been ZERO adjustments made by Babcock outside of his adjustment of stretch passes, and when a team keeps playing the same system but keeps running into the same issues, yet your coach refuses to adjust with the times, it can be demoralizing for the entire team.

I believe this is what we are seeing.

So they realistically need a shake up, because coming back from where they are is very difficult, but not impossible.

One “lucky” aspect this team is going for the is the fact they have been riddled with injuries and some teams can feel the urgency to step up in key player absences, so if we do indeed see that urgency it can be infectious which can carry momentum even on return of those key players.

i played/coached/managed this beautiful game for 42 straight winters

and i can tell you,,"This is NOT a TEAM" ,, this is just a collection of talent , many that are just 170 foot players

there is absolutely no pack mentality here , no one to excite the lizard brain on the bench or in the crowd , literally no one stands up for anyone and THAT is unbelievably demoralising on the bench , it silos players off , makes them shrink inches

it fosters selfish behaviour and self serving, self interested play

dubas to the pleasure of many soyboys here got rid of all his lizard brains,,,,,,Koma,martin,kadri,brown,hains,zait,ozzy