Blade of Steel has no direct affiliation to the Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL or NHLPA

BLADE OF STEEL


Matthew Tkachuk's comments about Auston Matthews will delight Leafs fans


PUBLICATION
Alexander Cole
January 17, 2026  (10:01)
SHARE THIS STORY

Jan 15, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) celebrates with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe (22) after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at T-Mobile Arena.
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews has garnered lots of respect around the league, even from rivals like Matthew Tkachuk.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers do not like each other very much, but that has never stopped Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk from having mutual respect for one another.
Auston, Matthew, and Brady Tkachuk will all play together for Team USA at the Winter Olympics, and it should be interesting to watch.
With that in mind, it should be no surprise that Matthew and Brady are talking about Auston on their new podcast.

Matthew Tkachuk on Auston Matthews

During a recent episode, Tkachuk offered up some comments about Auston, noting just how great the Maple Leafs captain is.
It led to a conversation about goal-scoring, and how Auston Matthews has become one of the NHL's greatest scorers ever.
Tkachuk even went in depth on Matthews' numbers, and how it feels like the Leafs forward could some day even break Alex Ovechkin's record.
I cannot believe how many goals he has right now. He's probably not even in the prime of his career yet, and he's going to end up with hundreds more goals. It's pretty impressive, if you ask me.

Back then, it was his hands, like his hands were insane, just stickhandling in the phone booth. He was like Patrick Kane with a little bigger frame, and now he's the whole package. He's been such an offensive weapon ever since a young age

Auston still has a long way to go before he is ever able to reach the same heights as a guy like Ovechkin, but it's fun to think about.
Matthews has been playing a lot better as of late, and if he continues to score goals at his current pace, then there is a chance of him breaking some records.
If you're a Leafs fan, you will be excited to watch Matthews at the Olympics later this year.
POLL
16 HOURS AGO   |   91 ANSWERS
Matthew Tkachuk's comments about Auston Matthews will delight Leafs fans

Is Matthew Tkachuk right about Auston Matthews?


BLADE OF STEEL
COPYRIGHT @2026  ·  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TERMS OF SERVICE  ·  PRIVACY POLICY  ·  COOKIE POLICY
RSS FEED  ·  SITEMAP  ·  ROBOTS.TXT