In the NHL—as in life—old habits die hard. That’s the case for Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who simply can’t avoid falling back into drama-filled pits. Following a rough 5-2 defeat to the New Jersey Devils, head coach Craig Berube delivered an unminced message to his players, directly calling out the household names.
Matthews finished the night with a -2 plus/minus against the Devils. The last time the captain in The Six posted such numbers was during Game 7 of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Watching the skipper end up with zeros on his stat sheet and outplayed by the opponents’ top unit was far from a pleasant sight for Leafs Nation.
Something’s got to change for the Maple Leafs going forward in the 2025-26 NHL season. Berube knows it, and he has taken it upon himself to kickstart a chain reaction. At the very least, he hopes to do so as he put Matthews and the first line on the spot with a straightforward comment.
“It’s obviously not good enough. I don’t feel like they have any sustained pressure in the offensive zone. It’s one and done,” Berube admitted about the first line’s outing,via Sportsnet. “It could [take time to find chemistry], but I’m getting tired of it, to be honest with you.”
Outmatched
All the eyes in Toronto were fixed on Matthews—who arrived at the arena on 40 Bay Street wearing Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s jersey—as the Maple Leafs hosted the Devils. However, by the end of the night, the spotlight shifted completely to the American centerman on the visiting team.
Jack Hughes put on a clinic against the Leafs, recording a hat-trick in front of the displeased home crowd. After a somewhat slow start, Hughes has picked up the pace, registering back-to-back three-point outings when matching up against Connor McDavid and the Oilers, and Matthews’ Leafs. Needless to say, the lights are proving to be never too bright for the 24-year-old born in the Sunshine State.
Don’t look now
As the Maple Leafs embark on yet another rollercoaster of an NHL season, it might be wise for them not to engage in comparisons. Especially with Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights, who are on a roll. For Matthews, watching fellow Team USA center Jack Eichel lead the league in points (16, with 6 goals and 10 assists) might be a reflection of what he once had when playing alongside Marner.
However, those days are a thing of the past now. Marner is staying in Sin City for the next eight years. Frankly, the relationship between the Buds and the hometown kid seems to be past any stage of repair. Even if Marner plays for another NHL team later in his career, he most likely won’t be back in the 416.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, but one the Maple Leafs must go through with regardless. As things stand, the Buds are self-destructing—with players calling each other out publicly, and even the head coach expressing his discontent with the team’s captain. Somehow, some way, Toronto must weather the storm, because if not, its Stanley Cup hopes will be shredded to pieces before the Leafs realize it.