Former Maple Leafs Star Takes Brutal SWIPE at Auston Matthews Following Game 7 Elimination Against Panthers

A former NHL star questioned the leadership skills of Auston Matthews after the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered another Game 7 elimination.

Former Maple Leafs Star Takes Brutal SWIPE at Auston Matthews Following Game 7 Elimination Against Panthers

Auston Matthews (Image via Imago)

On Sunday, the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered another heartbreaking elimination. The Canadian-based outfit was handed a 6-1 thrashing in Game 7 by the Florida Panthers, which led to their exit from the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. A former Maple Leafs star went on take a brutal swipe at Auston Matthews after their elimination.

Matthews had been under fire in this second-round series against their division rivals. In Game 5, the forward star, along with his teammates, received heavy backlash from the fans at the Scotiabank Arena. One even threw down a No.34 jersey of Matthews on the ice while loudly booing them.

The Maple Leafs captain turned out to be the hero in Game 6 as he scored the game-winning goal in the third period. His shot opened the scoring in the game before Max Pacioretty sealed a 2-0 win and forced Game 7 on Sunday.

In this high-stakes game, the Maple Leafs exploded in the second period and ended up losing 6-1 and suffering another Game 7 loss. While discussing this defeat on the Sportsnet’s Real and Kyper show, a former Maple Leafs star and NHL insider, Nick Kypreos, took a wild swipe at Auston Matthews and questioned his leadership skills.

Maybe we’re just, maybe he’s just not the guy that everybody envisioned, Auston. Maybe he’s just a really good goal scorer, but the rest of it, maybe not.

While Kypreos lauded the talent of Matthews, he went on to compare him with Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The former NHLer claimed that, like Malkin, Matthews needs someone like Sidney Crosby.

Matthews needs a Crosby. He can’t do it being the number one guy. He’s not a leader.

In his 17 minutes and 27 seconds on the ice, Matthews failed to make a desired impact for the Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old forward managed just 2 shots and did not have a single point from this crucial game.

Auston Matthews took an indirect jab at his teammates following Game 7 loss

It was deja vu all over again for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. The team suffered their 8th successive Game 7 loss after losing 6-1 against the Florida Panthers. After the game, captain Auston Matthews took an indirect jab at his teammates.

Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews (Image via Imago)

Till the 2nd period, the game seemed to be in balance. However, a devastating 6-minute spell saw the Panthers score three times as Seth Jones, Anton Lundell, and Jonah Gadjovich found the back of the net.

This 6-minute spell turned out to be the game changer. The Maple Leafs were unable to mount a comeback in the third period despite making it 3-1. In the press conference after the game, Matthews claimed that some of his teammates had become “passengers.”

I felt like we ready to play. I felt like we were in a good mindset. Like I said, I felt the first 10 minutes, they came out strong. In the next 10 minutes, I felt we controlled the play. I thought we had too many passengers throughout the rest of the game. And we weren’t on the same page.

Several Maple Leafs fans would slam Matthews for this comment regarding his teammates. Some urged him to look up at his own stats throughout the series. In the 13 games this playoffs, Matthews managed just 3 goals and had 8 assists (11 points) with a 0 plus-minus rating.

Angry Maple Leafs fan burns jersey of Auston Matthews following Game 7 loss

The Toronto Maple Leafs fans were not happy with the performance of their team in Game 7. The team blew a 2-0 series and ended up crashing out of the Stanley Cup playoffs again. Following the loss against the Florida Panthers, an angry Maple Leafs fan would burn the jersey of Auston Matthews.

Auston Matthews jersey burning
Auston Matthews jersey burning (Image via Yardbarker/X/@@Leafslatest)

In a post that has gone viral on X, a fan could be seen throwing the jerseys of Matthews into the fire. The angry fan would use some profanities while expressing that he is now a Montreal Canadiens fan instead of the Maple Leafs.

Check out a video regarding this below:

The fans do not seem to be in any mood to forgive their captain at the moment. He will have to do something drastic to win back their hearts in the future.

Speaking of the future, the Florida Panthers will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars will lock horns with the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final. The first game between the Panthers and Hurricanes will take place on Wednesday.

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