Professional sports at any level hold a high standard, and an unmountable pressure, especially if you are the cornerstone of the franchise. Being the cornerstone of the franchise comes with expectations, including leading your team to a championship. Every single mistake is magnified; when failures happen, you are always the first player the media and management look toward.
Auston Matthews and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills have fallen under this category. Both players arrived as elite talents who reshaped the identity of their franchises, quickly becoming the faces of teams with championship aspirations. After each season passes by, both Matthews and Allen are tasked with winning, but their supporting casts can't seem to help them reach that level of play.
Auston Matthews's and Josh Allen's immediate impact
When Auston Matthews first entered the NHL, he made an immediate impact, scoring four goals in his first career game, and reshaping modern goal scoring. He was then shortly placed as the Maple Leafs long-term solution and plan for success. The media set expectations that go far beyond his individual stats, which have led to many disappointments.
Josh Allen was also drafted towards the top of his class, with superstar ability. Allen then developed into one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in football. He found ways to win games on his own and has been the driving force of the Bills' offence over the past eight seasons. These superstar talents gave fans hope and a reason to believe their teams are true contenders.
What we have learned from both of these cases is that just because it seems these players have all the talent in the world, it may not always lead to playoff success. Auston Matthews and Josh Allen have both had several playoff heartbreaks. These heartbreaks led to questions about whether it is them or the personnel around them. Toronto has always been a team that has no issues generating offence in the regular season. When it matters most in the playoffs, they always seem to stumble. The Leafs can be very inconsistent and don't have the pieces around them that would translate into playoff success. This season has showcased this; other than William Nylander, the Maple Leafs lack players capable of propelling the team to the next level. The Leafs have dealt with numerous injuries that prove that just one player can't win you games and carry your team to the next level.
The Bills' story with Allen follows a similar script. After turning into the franchise quarterback, Allen has found himself in some of the biggest heartbreaks in recent sports history. All of these losses have held the Bills to Super Bowl aspirations, proving Allen can lead a team to the promised land. The roster surrounding Allen has not been good enough, and similar to Matthews, Allen has had James Cook by his side but not much else to work with. Generational talents like Sidney Crosby and Tom Brady, or Patrick Mahomes, have always been granted a team around them which have led to their success; both Matthews and Allen have lacked this throughout their careers.
How similar the two superstars are
What brings Matthews and Allen together is more than their individual abilities; it is the potential wasted with the remainder of the team. Both players are responsible for their team's success. Which raises the question of whether both the Bills and Leafs management staff have failed their superstars and have not been able to find ways to have long-term success around their generational talents. For the Maple Leafs, there have been a lot of questionable acquisitions and players who just don't fit within the mould of the roster on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck. Toronto's success, most recently this season, has fallen short of expectations of what this team could have truly become. For the Bills, they have been unable to provide the offensive firepower for Allen, as you see with the other top teams. The defensive side of the ball was a problem highlighted this season, as they were unable to close out games and be a force when the game mattered most.
The core of the problem is shared by both of these players, being forced to carry the weight of the franchise while waiting for the right pieces to be surrounded with. Matthews and Allen are both undeniable generational talents, with some of the top skills in their sport, but their playoff failures are holding them back from reaching the next level. You need a deep team to go on a deep playoff run, in any sport, and until the Maple Leafs and Bills can do this, there will be little to no playoff successes. Matthews and Allen will be celebrated athletes they were never able to get their teams into the record books forever.