The Toronto Maple Leafs lost all four games of their recent homestand, leaving both players and fans frustrated. Now, analysts are beginning to publicly call out captain Auston Matthews.
The Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche all left Toronto with four points last week—results that are deeply concerning for the Maple Leafs, who currently sit outside a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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William Nylander fined
Adding to the turmoil, injured forward William Nylander made headlines after flipping off a TV camera from the stands. He was fined $5,000 for the incident. Now, attention has turned to his teammate and captain, Auston Matthews, who is being criticized by an analyst for not speaking to the media following Friday’s loss to the Golden Knights.
Insider calls out Auston Matthews
Speaking on the OverDrive podcast, TSN insider Bryan Hayes took aim at Matthews.
“The Matthews stuff on Friday—the fact that he didn’t talk on the day of the biggest game of the season,” Hayes said. “Mitch Marner came back, Vegas on a Friday night. The whole city was buzzing, the whole building was buzzing. It was a big night. They’re in the entertainment business. It’s a huge fight—and they were terrible.”
“He didn’t talk before the game, he didn’t talk after the game,” Hayes continued. “I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t have spoken if they had won. If you’re the captain of a team—especially an Original Six team—you talk 82 times. You know who did come out? John Tavares, the guy who used to have the ‘C’ on his jersey, and they ripped it off his chest.”
You can watch the video below.
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