Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews sparks rampant speculation amid subtle gear changes

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Alexander Cole
December 13, 2024 (11:43)

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Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is going through some struggles this season and it appears as though his endorsement deal with CCM could be in jeopardy.

When Auston Matthews began his career almost a decade ago, he was a Bauer athlete, although four years ago, he decided to make a big change by signing with CCM.

Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is switching his gear around

Since that time, Matthews has continued to wear custom CCM gear, including his sticks and gloves.

However, the Instagram account Hockey Stick Man has noticed something interesting about the captain lately, and it is fueling speculation about his ties to CCM and whether or not Bauer is coming back into the mix.

As they explain in the video below, Matthews is no longer wearing his custom CCM gloves. Furthermore, his skates are now blacked out and appear to be a pair of Bauer Hyperlites.

One has to wonder if this means the Maple Leafs superstar is planning on switching sides.

Furthermore, if Matthews truly is making a shift back to Bauer, then it is important to examine why this would be the case.

Perhaps this could all be related to the struggles that he is having this season..

So far, through 20 games, Auston Matthews only has nine goals, which is well below his usual torrid pace.

Although Matthews has struggled, his head coach Craig Berube doesn't seem to be too worried about it.

"I mean, sometimes they don't go in all the time, but he's getting the looks, he's taking pucks that are net hard, he's playing a physical game. Like I said, it's 200 feet. He plays against top lines, the other team, penalty kills, key situations in our own end and stuff. So he's doing a lot of good stuff and I get, we need him to score. I'm not concerned about it, he will, it'll go in."

Hockey players always go through ups and downs, although when it comes to players like Matthews, those downs can certainly be much more jarring.

That said, it is important to keep a level head about all of this. The goals will come, and sometimes, you just have to let a guy figure it out.

Once Matthews finds that scoring touch, it won't be long before he is back in the Rocket Richard conversation.

POLL
DECEMBRE 13 \| 104 ANSWERS Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews sparks rampant speculation amid subtle gear changes Do you believe Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is switching away from CCM?
YES	75	72.1 %
NO	29	27.9 %
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