Footage shows Auston Matthews not caring about his teammates
The Toronto Maple Leafs' start to the season has been disastrous and the tension around the team is at an all-time high.
Many analysts were anticipating that if the Leafs were to lose yesterday to the Philadelphia Flyers, there was a strong possibility that big changes would be made in the organization.
As a result, the tension was felt on the ice and there was a lot of back and forth between the two teams on Wednesday night. There was a lot of frustration on both sides and one sequence in particular that caught the eye during the game.
It shows Auston Matthews tugging at Travis Konecny after the Leafs star literally double-checked Konecny in the neck in frustration at being hit by the Flyers' number 11.
However, when it got real, #34 was cool, letting his teammates defend him without flinching. He even seemed to find the situation funny, letting Michael Bunting and veteran Mark Giordano take all the blows while he showed absolutely no interest in getting involved in the skirmish.
Former NHLer Mike Rupp even posted a video commenting on the sequence and giving his former player's perspective on it. He blamed Matthews for the whole sequence, even though he was the instigator of the whole brawl, as Pierre Houde would say.
As my colleague Keven Mawn at Fanadiens points out, it's a great lack of character on the part of the 25-year-old American that reveals a glaring lack of leadership and heart on the Leafs.
We're not saying Matthews should throw down the gloves, but a simple show of character and commitment in supporting his teammates would have been the least he could do.
What's worse is that the Leafs' star even went so far as to taunt Konecny a second time, who reignited the skirmish a second time. We can see him retreating again while his partners deal with the situation.
This sequence speaks volumes about the strength of character in the Leafs' dressing room.
Watch the video with commentary by Mike Rupp here:
Credit: Marqueur.com
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In your opinion, does Auston Matthews lack leadership? | ||
| Yes | 206 | 77.2 % |
| No | 61 | 22.8 % |
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