"Needs to show it more often" - NHL analyst believes Auston Matthews must do more to justify $13,250,000 AAV contract

At $13.25 million AAV, Auston Matthews is one of the highest-paid players in hockey. In the past, Matthews has looked like a truly dominant superstar, but hockey analyst Dave Feschuk believes that hasn't been the case this year.

He scored two goals against the Calgary Flames, and in Feschuk's eyes, looked "dominant at times" and had hands that were "dialed in.' The analyst described Matthews as "having his way out there" on Monday night.

He led his team to a huge 6-2 win, but the NHL insider believes Matthews' performance wouldn't have stood out in 2023-24. He said on First Up (4:38):

"It would’ve been just another routine performance from a guy who scored 69 goals. This year, though, it stands out—and that’s not a good thing. You don’t become the highest-paid player in the game to wow us once in a while. You’re supposed to do it more often than not, and that just hasn’t been the case."

Feschuk said the hockey world knows the Toronto Maple Leafs star can take over a game but he needs to do it all the time, especially now when the playoff race is heating up.

He added:

"It was a good sign, no doubt. No one’s going to turn their nose up at it. But all it really does is remind us that he has it in him and that he needs to show it more often."

A recent dry spell put the Leafs in third in their division which they led less than a month ago.

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Maple Leafs star is all-praises for Auston Matthews

Max Domi has a front-row seat to Auston Matthews almost every night. He sees him play more than most, and has a ton of love and respect for his teammate. Following a dominant outing, Domi said as much of his captain.

Auston Matthews got some praise after a dominant outing (Imagn)

He said via Maple Leafs Daily:

"The goal-scoring speaks for itself, but it's all the other stuff and how he handles himself in here. Like I said, he's driving the bus and I've said it from day 1, he's my favorite player to watch and my favorite player to play with and best player in the world."

The Leafs used that 6-2 win to exorcise some recent demons, and it was a powerful statement from a team that had slipped in the last few games.