NHL Reporter rings alarm bells as Auston Matthews continues to struggle
Concerns are mounting regarding Auston Matthews' performance since his return from injury, starting questions about his true health status.
As reported by Hockey Patrol, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne discussed the matter with Joshua Kloke of The Athletic on Real Kyper and Bourne.
Auston Matthews injury made him miss much of November with an upper-body injury sustained on November 3rd against the Tampa Bay Lightning and appears to be struggling since coming back.
Kloke speculated that Matthews may be dealing with a nagging injury and he pointed out the Leafs' captain's apparent lack of speed and effort in critical moments, referencing a specific play against the Dallas Stars where Sam Steel scored a goal.
On the play, Matthews struggled to match Steel's speed or shut him down defensively.
He looked like he was slower than normal last night.
I mean, the backcheck on the one goal, doesn't that get other players benched for a few shifts.
Doesn't that effort get a fourth liner stapled to the bench for the rest of the period? - Joshua Kloke»
Since his return, Auston Matthews' numbers of 10 goals and 22 points in 23 games are respectable for most players, but they fall short of his usual elite production.
For a player of Auston Matthews' caliber, anything below superstar output is concerning and particularly since he hasn't dipped below a point-per-game pace since his rookie season.
Kloke's observations point to a larger issue which is if Auston Matthews is playing hurt, it may explain his drop in performance.
The Leafs need to determine the extent of his health concerns, as the team relies heavily on Matthews being at his best and for Toronto to thrive, "good" can't be good enough for their captain.
Fans and analysts will closely watch Matthews in the coming weeks and will hope for a return to his dominant form or clarity on any lingering injuries.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 20 | 158 ANSWERS NHL Reporter rings alarm bells as Auston Matthews continues to struggle Do you think Auston Matthews injury is worse than expected? | ||
| Yes | 135 | 85.4 % |
| No | 23 | 14.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
