Auston Matthews’ Goal Drought Mirrors Maple Leafs Struggles

Auston Matthews might’ve returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs with a gold medal around his neck, but that hasn’t stopped his scoring woes back with his NHL club.

It’s been 44 days since Matthews last scored a goal in an NHL game. Over that stretch, the Maple Leafs’ captain has logged 219 minutes and 55 seconds of ice time — according to Sportsnet Stats — yet has failed to find the back of the net. Scoring as a whole has been difficult for Matthews, too, as he’s put up just four points since returning from the Olympic Games. To say that he’s in a funk right now would be an understatement.

Perhaps it’s too harsh to rain on Matthews’ disappointing 2025-26 season. After all, the entire Maple Leafs operation is a dumpster fire at the moment. The losing has been perpetual over the last month or so, and it doesn’t appear as if it’s going to stop anytime soon.

Yet it must be pointed out that as the captain, the team’s success somewhat lives and dies with what Matthews is able to do on the ice. If he’s playing confident and succeeding, then Toronto is most likely going to follow. If he’s down in the dumps, not performing at the high level he’s capable of, then the Maple Leafs are going to crumble. It’s the latter scenario that’s transpired over the entirety of this season.

Maple Leafs Captain Struggling to Rediscover Scoring Touch

Mar 10, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) plays the puck during the third period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images | Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Matthews needs to score. It’s just that simple.

As the captain of the most popular NHL franchise known to man, extra scrutiny is laid at the feet of Auston Matthews on a daily basis. Fair or not, that’s the reality. Everything he does is subject to criticism, and that’s especially heightened when everything is going poorly.

Through 59 games this season, Matthews has scored 26 goals and recorded 26 assists. For any other player, 52 points at this point in the campaign wouldn’t be something to be scornful over. But this is Auston Matthews, the NHL’s three-time leading goal scorer; the captain of the American squad that just took down the mighty Canadians in the Olympics; the man who has single-handedly helped the Maple Leafs have some semblance of success throughout his time in Toronto, albeit not in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Much more is expected of him, and right now the team is not getting what it’s paying for.

How long this scoring drought goes is entirely up to Matthews. Yes, Toronto is completely out of the playoff picture, meaning that its aspirations of ending the debilitating 59-year streak of not winning a championship will not come to an end. What can disappear into nothingness is the embarrassment of losing a ton of games down the stretch. Matthews will be a key part of that, but he has to score. It’s literally his job.

Matthews and the Maple Leafs will get an opportunity to break their eight-game losing streak against the Anaheim Ducks at 7 p.m. ET on March 12. They’ll then face some fierce competition in the Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes over the course of the next week. Will Matthews score in any of those contests? Only time will tell.

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