A message was sent to Auston Matthews during pitiful performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is struggling right now, and after failing to register a point in the last four games, fans are starting to get fed up.
Auston Matthews is not having a season to remember right now. Last season, he struggled due to a nagging injury. This season, he came in with a clean bill of health, yet somehow, he is playing even worse.
Through 31 games, he has just 23 points, including 14 goals. It is the slump to end all slumps, and he is currently pointless in his last four games.
This includes last night's win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, where the Leafs won by a score of 6-3. The performance was so bad that fans were effectively calling him washed on social media.
It wasn't just one fan making these comments either. It appears as though the whole Leafs fanbase has real issues with the effort that Matthews is putting forward.
Auston Matthews called out by the Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase
Below, you can see a plethora of tweets from fans who are upset with what they are seeing out of Matthews right now. If one thing is for certain, it is that the captain can't be playing like this.
Some have said that Matthews is the kind of guy who leads by example. However, when you have 23 points in 31 games as a player who makes $13.25 million per season, that is not leading by example, in the least bit.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need things to change with their captain, and it is unclear what the team is going to do about it. Perhaps he needs to go on another line entirely.
There is a world in which the Leafs are forced to put Auston Matthews on a line with John Tavares, or break him up from Matthew Knies entirely, as the experiment just isn't working.
Knies had zero shots on goal against the Penguins, and that is a real problem that needs to be examined and needs to be solved fast.
There is no denying that the Leafs can be a good team, but their success rests on the shoulders of their best players. If their best players can't produce, then this season may just get a lot uglier.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 24 | 585 ANSWERS A message was sent to Auston Matthews during pitiful performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins Do you believe Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is officially washed? | ||
| YES | 367 | 62.7 % |
| NO | 218 | 37.3 % |
| List of polls | ||