"A December 22 piece in The Athletic looked at Auston Matthews' egregious descent in production. Matthews looks like a shell of his former self. That situation has conjured up all sorts of conspiracy theories regarding his decline. For my part, my money is on injuries. As an athlete, I know how long-term injuries can take their toll on your body. But let's put that aside for a moment. The prevailing chatter is that Matthews is healthy. So, what gives?"
"Matthews thrived under former coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe's laissez-faire, puck-possession style was perfect for Matthews, Nylander, and the erstwhile Maple Leafs Mitch Marner. The piece in The Athletic takes a deep dive into the numbers and theory behind Matthews' decline under Berube. But the situation boils down to this: Berube espouses a style that became quite prevalent some 40 years ago. Teams played the dump-and-chase style to counterattack the free-wheeling movement of the early to mid-1980s."
The Toronto Maple Leafs dismissed power-play coach Marc Savard and signal more changes may be coming. The organization increasingly attributes season struggles to head coach Craig Berube's system rather than individual players. Auston Matthews' sharp decline in production prompted debate over injuries versus tactical fit; Matthews reportedly performs better in a puck-possession, free-wheeling structure under Sheldon Keefe. Berube favors an older dump-and-chase approach that demands physical grinding and counters fast-paced skill hockey. Berube emphasizes tough love and accountability, but the current Leafs roster lacks the construction to thrive under that regime without a major rebuild.
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