After losing Mitchell Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights this summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs were forced to pivot in hopes of filling out their roster in such a way that allowed them to remain in contention, and while they have been able to do that to some degree, fans are still curious if Auston Matthews can bounce back after an injury-riddled campaign where his offensive production dropped significantly.
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In this player preview, we take a brief look at what Matthews did last season, on top of what fans and the team will expect out of him.
Auston Matthews
- Age: 27
- How Acquired: Drafted 1st overall in 2016
- 2024-25 Stats: 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games
- Career Stats: 401 goals and 727 points in 629 games
- 2025-26 Contract Status: Year two of a four-year contract worth $13.25 million average annual value (AAV)
2024-25 Season & Criticism From Fans
Matthews was dealing with an injury last season, which subsequently led to his offensive production dropping. However, he still maintained over a point-per-game average and was able to play elite defensively in both the regular season and the playoffs. Fans immediately pushed back on how he played in elimination games and how he didn’t seem to elevate his game, but his defensive mindset, combined with his ability to maintain just under a point-per-game average in the playoffs, made him one of the most well-rounded players in the league.
Noticed Matthews’ projected WAR has dipped below the 100th percentile for the first time since 2018-19 pic.twitter.com/L5iCY6n4X3
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 14, 2025
Going from a 69-goal campaign to 33 goals will turn some heads, and it did just that. Fans immediately questioned whether Matthews was injured, and he was, and while some fans gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming he’d bounce back and find his elite form next season, some fans were a little harsher.
The main question from some fans was why he seemed to elevate more in the 4 Nations Face Off than he did with the Maple Leafs in the postseason, but the simple answer is, he didn’t. A short tournament like that brings out the best in everyone, and with him being the best player the United States has to offer right now, he simply stood out more than he usually does because it was a world stage.
For fans to say he…
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