NHL analyst minces no words about 'significantly worse' Auston Matthews & $65,408,000 Leafs star following slumping performance

The Toronto Maple Leafs are struggling this season. NHL analyst Justin Bourne has criticized the subpar performances of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner for the Leafs's recent rough patch. They have lost four of their last five games, starting with a 3-2 loss to the last-paced San Jose Sharks.

Speaking on Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Bourne said that Matthews and Marner's play has worsened since the 4 Nations event, affecting the team’s overall performance.

"Since the 4 Nations break, I see a team that came out of it with their top two players, Matthews and Marner, playing significantly worse than they did before the 4 Nations break," Bourne said. "I see a team that is more top-heavy and built on the success of three or four players than any other team, and so they’re more hurt by the lack of success from the top guys."

Additionally, Bourne found that many top players from the 4 Nations, especially Canadian and American ones, have seen a drop in production.

"I did some research on two guys who went to the 4 Nations," Bourne said. "A lot of the top guys have seen their production dip since, particularly the Canadian and American players who had the week-long build-up to two big games. They haven’t been as good. It hurts the Leafs more than other teams that their top guys played in that event."

Auston Matthews missed a game against Sweden during the tournament after missing 15 games earlier this season and has not looked the same since. Marner is in the final year of his $65.4 million contract, so his contract negotiations might have also affected his performance.

"Matthews missed a game in that event," Bourne said. "He wasn’t right to begin with, and so I don’t know if they’re tired. I don’t know if they’re hurt. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it’s contract stuff with Mitch. I don’t know what. The two of them are not good right now, and so they’re losing."

Toronto's recent losses include a 3-2 loss to Florida, who lead the Atlantic Division. The Leafs are second with a 39-23-3 record. William Nylander leads the team with 36 goals, but weak defense and poor performances from top players are concerning.

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Maple Leafs stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner see drop in performance

In Thursday's game against the Florida Panthers, Auston Matthews played 21:42 minutes but failed to score from three attempts. This was his third straight game without a goal. He has 23 goals this season, which is disappointing for one of the league’s top goal-scorers. Last season, he scored 69 goals, the highest in the previous three decades.

Mitch Marner has also been inconsistent despite scoring 21 goals and 59 assists for 80 points this season. He failed to register a point against Florida in a playoff-like game.

The playoffs are near, and Toronto can't afford this slow production from their forwards, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs rely on them, and their struggles hurt the team.