Keith Tkachuk offers high praise, believes a ‘different’ Auston Matthews is on the way

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is having a down year by his excellent standards, but he has the full support of some of the greatest American players in history.

Keith Tkachuk joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Thursday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take, where the five-time NHL All-Star provided a glowing scouting report of Matthews.

“I’ve known Auston for a lot of years,” Tkachuk said. “He played with Matthew at the (USNTDP) program. Comes from a great family. He’s 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3, he can skate. It’s the details I love in his game. Yeah, everybody looks at the goal-scoring, he’s an incredible goal-scorer, he’s got a great shot. His two-way details are what makes him such a great player. He’s tough to play against, he’s stripping pucks, he does the little things, he skates for a big man with ease. Sometimes it takes a few years to learn from things. He’s going to be that guy. He’s a legit No. 1 centre and he makes people around him better. I think you’ll see see a different Auston Matthews for sure. He’s still 27 years old and he’s got another 15 years in his career at least.”

Matthews has generated 23 goals and 56 points this season, and while those are solid numbers with stellar defensive impact, he hasn’t been shooting the lights out like we’ve become accustomed to. The 27-year-old has fought through two different injury stints this season which forced him to miss 15 games. He captained Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he eventually lost to Mitch Marner and Team Canada in the final.

There’s been much consternation about the upcoming playoff run, as the Maple Leafs are firmly in win-now mode, while Marner, John Tavares and Matthew Knies all require new contracts. Matthews and the Maple Leafs’ stars will need to perform this spring, and if Tkachuk’s evaluation rings true, Leafs Nation may be able to breathe easier, although the Florida Panthers will be standing in the way, and the elder Tkachuk will certainly be rooting for his son.