The most recent chatter surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs has focused on captain Auston Matthews, most evidently checking out.
The fact that Matthews is just going through the motions at this point in the season should be a surprise to no one.
It’s tough being the best player on a bad team. But the way things are going, Matthews isn’t even a good player on a bad team.
This situation is akin to the workplace. Some bad companies have great employees. They work hard and try to do their best. Unfortunately, their peers around them are just skating by. They don’t really strive to be the best. They just show up because they’re getting paid to do it.
At some point, that attitude rubs off even on the best employees. Add to that a clueless manager who barks out orders that don’t make sense anymore. The staff just pretends to go along with them, but they really do whatever they want.
Customers, meanwhile, have begun to complain because the products and the service are bad. But no one really cares about that. The employees are just showing up because if they don’t, they don’t get paid. And they need the paycheck.
That’s how it’s going in Toronto. No matter how hard Matthews or Nylander, for that matter, work, they won’t be going anywhere. Maybe things would change significantly with a shakeup behind the bench.
It seemed to work when Marc Savard got the heave-ho.
But just making a coaching change for the sake of it won’t work. The organization will need to find someone who can truly spur a turnaround.
Leafs May Have Lost Matthews for Good
The biggest concern at this point has to be the possibility of having lost Matthews for good. If he’s truly checked out, not just for the season, but for the organization, getting him back may not be feasible.
The concern here would be that Matthews and his representation will mull things over for the remainder of the season and request a trade.
That’s a situation that would zap just about all the leverage the Leafs could have. While just about every team in the NHL would love to have Matthews on its squad, Matthews would have total control over the situation.
Other clubs would know that and use the leverage against the Leafs.
Perhaps Matthews could wrap his head around sinking with the ship. If he did that, it would endear him to the Leafs fan base.
But if he bolted, well, no one would really blame him. After all, who wouldn’t look for another job just to get out of a dead-end company?
Maybe there is some hope. That could begin with bringing in a coach who could better gel with Matthews and company. That discussion, however, is one that’s likely to happen after the buzzer sounds on game 82 this season.