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Toronto Maple Leafs: Can Auston Matthews Be a 200-Foot Player?

By Nick Barden

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 21: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on against the Boston Bruins during the third period during Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Scotiabank Arena on April 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 21: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on against the Boston Bruins during the third period during Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Scotiabank Arena on April 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Head coach, Mike Babcock and the Toronto Maple Leafs believe Auston Matthews can be a 200-foot player.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Matthews three years ago they believed he would enter the league and be a star.

He did just that scoring four goals in his first game, but has he earned the status of ‘star’ yet?

Yes, and no.

The six-foot-three centre is one of the best players in five-on-five situations and he’s also a savage on the power play.

However, he does struggle in his own end from time-to-time.

A prime example is Monday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the first period, Matthews loses body position on Pierre Luc Dubois, which allows him to score.

If Matthews was a true two-way centre, Dubois wouldn’t have gotten around Matthews that easily and he wouldn’t have scored.

Why am I talking about this?

A few days ago, Babcock said that he believes Matthews can be “the best two-way centre in hockey.”

While the comment seemed a little farfetched then, and still does now – Matthews is still on track to be what Babcock thinks he can be.

Later in that game against the Blue Jackets, Dubois tried the same play again, this time, Matthews had body position and nothing came of it.

Everybody has to remember, Matthews is still 22 years old, there’s an abundance of time for him to grow into the two-way-centre we all want him to be.

Players make mistakes. The only way you learn is by going back and learning from those mistakes.

He’s still dominant in the league – 61% in the face-off circle, six 5-on-5 goals (which is atop the NHL) and has a 61% CF rating; all in 10 games this season.

Matthews will one day be the two-way centre that we all want him to be, and he will probably be one of the best in the world.

But for now, this is his time for him to make the mistakes. We can see that he has no issue putting pucks into the net, give him time to grow and he’ll stop pucks from going into his own net.

Next. Which Leafs Are Meeting Expectations?. dark

I believe by the end of this season, or halfway through next, everyone will be talking about how “Auston Matthews uses his body so well and he’s improved so much.”

But until then, let the kid grow (I’m the same age). There’s lots of time, this isn’t the playoffs and he will get there, eventually.

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