With the Olympics quickly fading into the rearview, the business of resuming the NHL season is officially underway. While games won’t start again until next Wednesday, the next couple of days will allow fans to decompress from what was a memorable tournament.
That said, the outcome of that tourney could be the best thing that happened to Maple Leafs fans. The reason is simple. Team USA and its captain, Auston Matthews, won gold. It was the first major championship for Matthews since becoming a professional back in 2016.
Since hitting NHL ice, Matthews had not really won anything. He had naught more than a handful of playoff exits to go with his personal hardware. His individual performance has declined ostensible from its heights about two seasons ago.
Plus, following Mitch Marner’s departure, it seemed like a fait accompli that Matthews would eventually follow suit.
But that may not be the case anymore. Yes, Matthews has publicly said all the right things about being committed to Toronto. Now, however, he might really feel it. Getting that Olympic gold could be enough to keep the Toronto Maple Leafs captain in town much longer than anticipated.
Matthews’ legacy got a major boost with that medal. He’ll be remembered forever alongside that great Miracle on Ice team of 1980. As such, winning a Stanley Cup might not be the most pressing matter, for now.
Of course, winning a Cup will become a major issue sooner or later. But it could have bought the Maple Leafs more time. That time must be used to either retool the club or the front office. At this point, it seems like retooling the front office is the most urgent matter.
If the organization fails to build a winning team, Matthews could be heading out the door in 2027, searching for the missing ingredient to complete his personal legacy.
Matthews’ gold could give Maple Leafs a boost
Matthews’ Olympic gold could give the Maple Leafs a boost heading back into the NHL regular season. It might not seem like one fact correlates to another, but there’s a definite cascading effect.
There’s no telling how much Matthews’ victory could rub off on the rest of the team. Perhaps this could be the wake-up call to convince the Maple Leafs that they still have it in them to win this season.
Naturally, the Maple Leafs don’t compare to Team USA’s lineup. But given how there are about six weeks or so to go in the season, the Leafs can summon the inspiration to make an insane run into the playoffs.
There is one caveat, however. If the Maple Leafs flame out, the bump from Matthews’ gold medal will be for naught. In such a situation, the offseason narrative could be significantly different.
The batch of games leading up to the NHL trade deadline will determine what that narrative will be for the next five months.