Craig Berube has never been one to mince words. Since being hired as head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs, that aspect of his coaching personality has remained unchanged. Now, Auston Matthews and company received a rough wake-up call in the 2025-26 NHL season.
The Atlantic Division has seen teams climb up and slide down with as much ease so far in the NHL campaign. Toronto has hit a lull as of late, causing Matthews and the Buds to approach the basement of the division in the blink of an eye.
The 4–0 loss to the Washington Capitals was the Maple Leafs’ biggest-margin defeat of the season. Following the disastrous showing, Berube decided to nip the problem in the bud with a concise, yet brutally honest answer about his team’s performance.
“Ask those guys, not me,” Berube told reporters after a question on the lack of passion from Matthews and the Maple Leafs against the Capitals, via Sportsnet on X. Toronto hadn’t been held scoreless in a game since May 11 (Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Florida Panthers).
Fans want to see more from Matthews
So far, the 2025-26 NHL season has been far from memorable for Matthews. Through 28 games, the Maple Leafs’ captain registers 14 goals and 9 assists (23 points). It’s not disastrous, but the Buds expect better.
At the end of the day, Matthews is the best player in town, and he is being paid a $15.2 million salary this campaign. It’s not unreasonable for fans to demand more than him being the team’s fourth-highest point contributor.
Matthews’ goals usually lead to wins
Despite some lackluster performances throughout the season, Matthews has had his fair share of exciting moments. Though the scoring prowess has been inconsistent, no one in Toronto doubts Matthews can get hot at any given time and go on a scoring streak. That could spell out great news for the Maple Leafs. So far in the season, Berube’s Buds are 10-2-1 when Matthews finds the back of the net. On the other hand, Toronto is 4-9-2 when the captain is held scoreless.