Few players have more to prove heading into the 2026–27 season than Auston Matthews. After an injury-riddled campaign that ended with the Toronto Maple Leafs missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the spotlight has once again shifted to the team’s captain.
The pressure has only grown as a new era begins in Toronto. With John Chayka taking over as general manager and Jim Hiller stepping in behind the bench, Matthews is expected to lead the franchise back into contention.
Cup Champion Raises the Bar for Auston Matthews
The 2025–26 season was one of the toughest of Matthews’ career.
On March 12, 2026, the Maple Leafs captain suffered a Grade 3 MCL tear and a quadriceps contusion following a knee-on-knee collision with Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. The injury required surgery and forced Matthews to miss the final 16 games of the season.
Limited to just 60 games, the former 69-goal scorer finished the year with 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points, the lowest total of his NHL career. Toronto’s offense struggled without its captain, and the club ultimately failed to qualify for the postseason.
The good news for the organization is that Matthews is expected to be fully healthy by the start of the new season.
Former New Jersey Devils forward Mike Rupp, who won the Stanley Cup with the franchise during the 2002-03 season, believes Matthews is ready for a major comeback.
When asked whether Matthews would score more than 40 goals this season, Rupp didn’t hesitate. “I think this is an automatic over. I think it’s an automatic over just because he has always kind of been that big year, maybe in his realm of what you expect from Auston Matthews, a subpar year, but still 30-some goals or wherever that’s at. The next year will have a big year,” Rupp said.
“The last two years you’re waiting for him to kind of get back. And I think he does get back. I think there’s some new excitement in Toronto. I think he kind of, in some ways, put the organization on watch and maybe himself… He wants to ultimately win a Stanley Cup, too,” he added.
Rupp’s confidence is based not only on Matthews’ talent but also on the changes Toronto has made during the offseason.
The arrival of first-overall pick Gavin McKenna gives the Maple Leafs another elite offensive weapon, which should make life easier for Matthews. Instead of carrying the offensive load almost entirely by his lonesome, he will have another dynamic playmaker capable of drawing attention from opposing defenses.
The organization also addressed its goaltending situation by signing two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky, giving the team more stability between the pipes.
Meanwhile, Hiller’s fast-paced, attack-minded system appears tailor-made for one of the league’s most dangerous shooters.
After enduring one of the most frustrating seasons of his career, Matthews now has an opportunity to remind the hockey world exactly why he is considered one of the NHL’s elite players.
And if Rupp is right, the Maple Leafs captain could be headed for a massive season.
