Auston Matthews
Some would probably find it surprising to see the Leafs superstar in this category. After all, Auston Matthews has been phenomenal for the Leafs ever since making his debut with the club back in 2016.
Just taking a look at his accolades, he has captured the Hart Memorial Trophy, Calder Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy three times, along with scoring 60+ goals and 100+ points in two of his past three seasons. More importantly, Matthews may just be entering his prime, so the best is yet to come.
However, one thing that has been different for him this year was the fact that he had finally been given the Leafs captaincy ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season. With the new leadership role comes new responsibilities and pressure to ensure that the team was performing to expectations.
With more to think about in his mind and the extra burden on his shoulders to lead the Leafs to success, it could have somewhat of an effect on his overall play on the ice. (All salaries from puckpedia,com and all stats from hockey-reference.com and naturalstattrick.com)
Matthews has become a Selke-worthy elite defensive forward and now Berube has him killing penalties as well. It is possible that Matthews becomes a more defensive player who scores less as time goes on, and it's possible that playing on the PK will get him injured.
With the new approach and mentality, Matthews could potentially have his lowest goals and points output in years this season, as this could be the year he is converted into Steve Yzerman 2.0.
So we may end up missing his offensive production and daring moves on the ice, but if in return it can help the Leafs bring home the Cup just like Yzerman did for the Detroit Red Wings, then the Matthews disappointment might still be worth it.