Auston Matthews needs to take accountability

The Toronto Maple Leafs laid an egg against Connor McDavid and the Oilers, dropping an ugly 6-3 game on home ice. After the loss, the media asked to speak with Auston Matthews, and he declined. That’s a tough look. When you get blown out on a Saturday night in your own building, the captain needs to face the music. Fair or not, that comes with the job. Many believe the captain should speak after every game, especially the bad ones.

Berube sends a clear message to his leaders

Craig Berube addressed the situation afterward, saying he spoke with the group about leadership and the need for the team’s leaders to step up. That message starts with Matthews. When Matthews finally spoke to the media following practice, he commented on his play, but the response didn’t sound like someone fully owning his recent effort. When you look back at past Leafs captains, the message was always the same: it starts with me, I have to be better. Matthews still hasn’t consistently delivered that kind of accountability during his time in Toronto.

""We can all be better, obviously. Rightfully so, it will fall on the leaders, and that's fine. We've got to be better in that area and make sure that in tight games we keep grinding and doing what made us successful in the first two periods.""

Auston Matthews

Accountability still missing at the top

Berube also made it clear that Matthews’s level of play isn’t where the team expects it to be, and it goes beyond goal scoring. It’s about details, competitiveness, and impact in all areas of the game. That message shouldn’t surprise anyone. This organization has spent years protecting its stars, and until players like Matthews and Nylander truly hold themselves accountable, it’s hard to believe this group can go on a deep playoff run.

The OverDrive panel touched on the situation as well and was clearly surprised that Matthews declined to speak. That reaction says a lot. To be fair, Matthews wasn’t wrong when he said everyone needs to be better. He’s right. The Leafs are in a tough spot in the Eastern Conference, and climbing back into the playoff picture will take a full-team effort. But leadership isn’t just about saying the right things; it’s about showing up when things go wrong. Right, that’s what this team is still waiting to see.

At the end of the day, this isn’t about one loss or one media availability. It’s about leadership, accountability, and setting a standard when things aren’t going well. The Maple Leafs have too much talent to keep falling into the same patterns year after year. If this group truly wants to change the narrative and make a real push, it has to start with the leaders owning their play and leading by example. Until that happens, questions about this team’s ceiling will continue to follow them.