Craig Berube is confident in Auston Matthews’ all-around game after down season

The Toronto Maple Leafs will play the first of a home-and-away against the Detroit Red Wings to wrap up their preseason campaign.

Set to play his second preseason match Thursday is Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. Owing to an undisclosed injury, Toronto’s captain saw a significant drop in production last season, but he’s now reportedly back at full strength and looking for a bounce-back year.

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke about what he saw from Matthews last season and what’s next heading into this year.

“It was an off year, there were things behind the scenes that we all sort of know about,” Berube said of Matthews. “He wasn’t a fully healthy player, but fought through it. I thought he played extremely well for what he was going through. He doesn’t just score goals, he does a lot of things for us. He’s penalty killing, he goes against top lines. He’s a great defensive player, good work ethic. I don’t think we should be overly concerned. He’s healthy, he’s looking good, he’s shooting the puck really well.”

It’s true that Matthews offers invaluable contributions across the ice and Berube has worked hard through his tenure so far to spotlight the hard work he puts in. That being said, Toronto’s coach conceded that tallying big numbers is an important part of the centreman’s game, and they hope to see those numbers grow again this year with a healthy Matthews.

“It’s not all about goals, but I do get it,” Berube continued. “He’s a goalscorer, everybody looks at him to score goals, and we do need him to score goals. But at the same time, it’s a team, it’s about winning games, and it’s about everybody contributing.”

As Matthews takes the ice tonight against the Red Wings, he’ll be skating alongside Matthew Knies and Max Domi. With a new look to Toronto’s offensive group this season, the hope is that the trio can become a consistent first line that can be relied on to put up big numbers this season. So while it is still preseason action, fans will be watching eagerly tonight to see what the three of them can achieve together.