In the NHL—as in life—old habits die hard. That’s the case for Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who simply can’t avoid falling back into drama-filled pits. Following a rough 5-2 defeat to the New Jersey Devils, head coach Craig Berube delivered an unminced message to his players, directly calling out the household names.

Matthews finished the night with a -2 plus/minus against the Devils. The last time the captain in The Six posted such numbers was during Game 7 of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Watching the skipper end up with zeros on his stat sheet and outplayed by the opponents’ top unit was far from a pleasant sight for Leafs Nation.

Something’s got to change for the Maple Leafs going forward in the 2025-26 NHL season. Berube knows it, and he has take

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