Auston Matthews Could Be Demoted After Strong Performance in His Absence By His Teammates

PUBLICATION

Chris Gerics
November 11, 2024 (8:52 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

With the Toronto Maple Leafs powerplay rolling the last three games, could Auston Matthews be given a lesser role to keep things going? Justin Bourne thinks so.

Going from the worst powerplay team in the entire NHL to being one of the most dominant in the span of a week is an incredible turnaround that no one saw coming, and could have saved coach Marc Savard his job:

There's an old saying in life: Don't fix what's not broken. Toronto is currently riding a three-game win streak and the powerplay is right now, as close to perfect as it can be. But when Auston Matthews returns, is it going to throw everything out of sync?

Auston Matthews' Demotion Means Potential Success

If Auston Matthews ends up being thrust right back into the first powerplay unit, it could be a nightmare. Chemistry is crucial when it comes to success, especially on the man advantage, and anything that ruins the vibe can seriously damage results.

Justin Bourne, a Maple Leafs analyst and co-host of the Real Kyper and Bourne Podcast had a very simple solution: Drop Matthews down.

"The one thing I'm totally fine with, if you're looking at the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is to say 'You've been out. The powerplay is humming, until it's not humming; you're going to run the second powerplay. It's not killer for two games to say 'This is going good, we're not gonna disrupt it. We're trying to score goals on the powerplay."

However, his co-host Nick Kypreos rebutted about if the powerplay gets hot for the next few weeks, can Matthews handle second unit duties?

"If this powerplay continues to stay pretty good for two, three weeks; Auston's gonna take the last 15 seconds of a powerplay?"

Bourne fired back:

"See, have you ever heard him say 'I won't do that.' You're a team trying to win games, he's the captain on a long-term deal. You don't think he'll say 'Okay, I'll get it when I can.'"

Matthews is the captain, bar none. He leads the team, but he also leads by example. If he were to just barge in and mess things up for the sake of wanting power or the chance to score more, it sets a horrible precedent for not only his team but for the league.

Matthews is the ultimate team player, and his success is just as dependent on how the team does as his own personal stats. If he wants the best chance to succeed, he'll take second unit duties and prove to everyone it doesn't matter where you put him: He's going to do damage.