On Thursday night, when Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas took out Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit, it created a huge uproar in Leafs nation.
Not only was it a dirty play by one of the league’s repeat artists, but the subsequent non-response by the Maple Leafs collective for their fallen captain was particularly shocking. That inadvertently sends a worrisome message across the league that players can take liberties on the Leafs stars and not fret about getting some major punishment for it.
Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube reacts to Gudas hit on Matthews
So how does Leafs head coach Craig Berube react to such a commotion? He gave his honest opinion on the brutal play.
“That’s a dirty play. The league is going to obviously look at it and see what the suspension will be or whatever happens,” Berube said.
When asked about the non-response by the entire Maple Leafs team in defense of Matthews, Berube gave his heartfelt response of what his Toronto teammates should have done.
“Obviously, we should have four guys in there doing something about it, but it didn’t happen then. But I felt they responded in the third,” Berube explained.
For someone who had made his living as an NHL enforcer with over 3149 career penalty minutes, the Leafs head coach certainly knows a thing or two about sticking up for his teammates. One thing is for sure, Berube wouldn’t have let such a thing happen and if it did, he would make sure they paid the price.
The Maple Leafs eventually did step it up for once, later in the third period when rookie Easton Cowan of all people went after Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe following a hit on teammate Nick Robertson. That might just be too little too late as that was the exact response one would have expected for Matthews, considering his play was apparently way more nasty.
The Leafs would now later learn that their captain will be done for the season due to a Grade 3 MCL tear an quad contusion. Gudas, on the other hand, was surprisingly handed just a five-game suspension despite the intent to injure on the play and his past history, engaging Maple Leafs fans everywhere.
Nevertheless, the Leafs will now need to move on without Matthews for the rest of the season as Berube will need to find a way to give the team an identity and make the team respectable as they close out what has turned out to be a disastrous 2025-26 campaign.