Back-to-back losses to the Detroit Red Wings have put some early pressure on Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Just three games into the 2025-26 NHL season, head coach Craig Berube might be losing his patience with one of the biggest names in The Six.
Losing twice in a row to a divisional opponent is never a fond sight for Toronto. But when the defeats come as early as the first week of the new NHL season, then there’s more to be concerned about.
On that note, head coach Berube has fixed his sight on William Nylander, voicing a blunt wake-up call for the star in Toronto. Over the past two games against Detroit, Nylander has recorded a plus/minus of -3. Though this stat usually fails to tell the whole story, it illustrates a point when it comes to Nylander’s struggles lately.
Berube, however, kept his message to Nylander short and simple. “We need more out of him,” the Maple Leafs’ head coach stated after Toronto’s first home loss in the 2025-26 NHL campaign, per The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel.
Interesting take, to say the least
Though Nylander hasn’t been as noticeable as he usually is, calling him out just three games into the NHL season was definitely a surprising choice on Berube’s part. Nylander currently leads the Maple Leafs with four points (tied with Morgan Rielly).
However, a very concerning stat indicates Nylander has only registered one shot on goal through the first three outings. Toronto needs him to take more chances, especially as he is currently operating at a perfect 100% shooting percentage. As the saying goes, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and that is coming back to bite Nylander and the Leafs.
O’ Captain…
On the other hand, some aim at the captain, Auston Matthews, who has only registered one goal through the first three games of the campaign. Fans in Hogtown have grown somewhat used to slow starts from Matthews in recent years.
The former first overall pick went scoreless in his first three games of the 2024-25 season, though he followed that up with a three-point outing in his fourth game of the campaign. It seems there’s no in-between with Matthews—he either comes firing right out of the gate or takes some time to find his footing. It hasn’t been for a lack of effort, though.
Matthews leads the Leafs with 15 shots so far this season (an average of five shots on goal per game). His shooting percentage is certainly concerning, but Toronto knows that once the captain wipes off the dust, he’ll be back in full force.
What it is all about
Either way, if there’s one lesson Leafs Nation has learned by heart, it’s that it doesn’t matter how you start—it’s all about how you finish. Hoping to be the franchise that ends Canada’s Stanley Cup drought, but more importantly Toronto’s 58-year hex, all the Buds care about is going all the way during the spring and summer. However, first they must clinch their ticket to the postseason. Consecutive divisional losses are not the way to go.