How quickly good vibes can vanish, or that the glow can dissipate for a professional athlete, is a fascinating story. Just days after the Hughes brothers (Jack and Luke) hailed Auston Matthews as a leader and a “winner”, he’s back in the real world, where the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking like anything but a winning team.
Following Team USA’s historic gold medal at the 2026 Milan Olympics, Matthews has gone from captain of an All-Star squad to returning as captain of a struggling one, bringing with him a harsh reality check that leading a team to glory is a whole lot easier when that team is actually good.
The Maple Leafs Are Falling Apart at the Worst Time
Well aware that his NHL team has an extremely small window to make good and force management’s hand to push for adding players and not selling them ahead of the NHL trade deadline, the Matthews-led Leafs have come out of the Olympic break extremely flat.
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They’ve dropped two straight games – including a lopsided 1-5 defeat to the Florida Panthers on Thursday. This has led to questions about why they can’t seem to muster up the energy or strong play to stay in the hunt. Two games are a small sample size, but there’s no time to waste here. The Maple Leafs need to push, and they need to push now.
If they can’t do so, whose shoulders does that fall on? Fingers will be pointed, and many right at Matthews, where his outstanding leadership at the Olympics already feels like old news.
The Olympic tournament win was a crowning moment for Matthews in his hockey career. Whether deserved or not, he got a lot of credit for captaining Team USA to its first men’s hockey gold since 1980. In the post-gold medal press conference, when a reporter tried to hint at the narrative Matthews was stapled with the reputation as someone who couldn’t lead, “Doesn’t matter what anyone says now,” Jack Hughes interjected. Quinn followed up with, “Auston Matthews is a winner.”
Their words suggested that Team USA viewed Matthews as a key part of their success and that fans and media should cut him some slack. Yet, that same leadership isn’t extending over to his NHL team.
In just two games, the script has flipped. The Maple Leafs have conceded nine goals while scoring only three. They look disjointed. Analysts are calling them out. Matthews’ response? The team lacks “urgency and detail.”
If Matthews Can Right The Ship, He’ll Have Proved the Hughes Brothers Right
Here’s the silver lining. There isn’t much time, but there’s still time. And, what a story it would be if somehow Matthews willed these Maple Leafs into the playoffs.
“I don’t think concern is the right word. I just think we need more desperation, some more fire, especially to start games,” Matthews said. Perhaps he’s disconnected from reality. At the same time, true leaders never quit. They don’t fold their hand. They push to the bitter end.
What Matthews and the rest of Team USA accomplished in Milan was historic. What he could do with the Leafs, while an extreme long shot, would be epic this season.
This isn’t to diminish the Olympic achievement. But for the Maple Leafs, who sit well outside the playoff cut line and only a week from major roster decisions, the “Auston Matthews is a winner” narrative is being tested. If Matthews can’t ignite his squad now, when the stakes are rising toward the trade deadline and playoffs, what does that say about his captaincy long-term?
