Auston Matthews's injury may just save Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have played this entire season like a deer caught in the headlights. Except for a brief period in December and January, the Leafs have hardly looked like a competitive squad.

That aside, as implausible as it may seem, Auston Matthews’ injury, as gruesome as it was, could have just saved the organization from a painful rebuild.

Seeing Matthews on the ice, in agony, with no one on the Leafs reacting, had to be the lowest point for the organization in quite a long time.

Instead of someone, anyone, on the Leafs rushing in to rip Radko Gudas’ head off, the players on the ice were silent.

But the situation did spur a three-goal third to give the team a win. On Saturday night, the Leafs hung tough against the red-hot Sabres, dropping a 3-2 decision in the shootout.

It seems the devastating injury to Matthews became a massive wake-up call. It might have been the event that snapped the team out of their post-Game 7 depression from last year.

It makes sense. There are times when individuals must go through extreme experiences to break a terrible cycle. For instance, folks stuck in a rut must lose their jobs to spark a major change like starting a business.

Other times, an awful experience triggers soul-searching. It seems that whatever Craig Berube said to the Leafs during the second intermission in the game against Anaheim may have lit something inside the team.

If the Leafs can at least turn a corner in their remaining games this season, a potential, prolonged rebuild may be averted. The team may show enough positive signs to think that it could return to contention next season with the right pieces in place, including Matthews.

Despite the horrific loss, there might just be life in the Maple Leafs after all. And that could avoid tearing everything down and starting over from scratch.

Leafs showed signs of life against Sabres

There was an incident that may be an indication that a light has indeed gone off inside the Maple Leafs.

Late in the first period against the Sabres on Saturday night, Sabres forward Noah Ostlund bumped into goalie Joseph Woll. The interaction led to an immediate irate reaction from Morgan Rielly.

Rielly, it should be noted, publicly admitted his lack of reaction following the hit on Matthews. While it is too late to do anything about it, Rielly took it upon himself to send a message on Saturday night.

The extracurriculars that followed the incident showed there may be some life left in the Leafs after all. While it remains to be seen if it’s something sustainable, it might just be the signal that the Leafs have gotten over whatever may have been plaguing them mentally.

It’s too bad that the turnaround came at the expense of Auston Matthews’ health. But had it been any other player, would the same reaction have followed?

The Leafs evidently hit rock bottom on Thursday night. Now, they didn’t take any bull from the Sabres. Let’s see if that attitude carries over into Sunday night’s matchup against the Minnesota Wild.