"Worst captain in the league" "This lazy f**k is the issue": Maple Leafs fans blast Auston Matthews after 2nd straight loss

The Toronto Maple Leafs trusted Auston Matthews as the team captain last August after he recorded his second 60+ goal season in 2023-24. He took over from John Tavares as the 26th captain in franchise history and the first American to do so.

Things haven't been smooth sailing for Matthews ever since. First, his production took a hit, scoring only 33 goals in a 67-game, injury-ridden regular season last season. This season, without a certain Mitch Marner to share responsibility, Matthews' press conference conduct, especially his handling of the Leafs' lack of form, has come under the scanner.

Matthews' comments after Saturday's game against the Nashville Predators were heavily criticized on social media. The fans called out the lack of passion in his statements while he claimed that the Leafs, even after losing four of their last five games, are mentally fine.

"I think mentally we're fine. Tonight, as s***ty as it losing, I thought the process was better," Matthews said. "We had good energy all night. And even though you're leaving the rink upset, not coming out with any points in tonight's game, just the process that we had throughout is something that we can take and move forward with."

Here are a few reactions on X:

"Here is the problem...This soft no heart Captain. He thinks they had energy all night long...they were out shout almost 2-1. The bottom feeder Predators controlled the play. This lazy f**k is the issue. Strip the C now!" a fan said. "Worst captain in the league. Maybe even worse than [Quinn] Hughes was," a fan wrote. "Pumping his own tires for trying kind of hard while making a million dollars/month. Cute," a fan commented. "This guy has checked the f out," a fan stated. "Adopting the participation trophy mentality. He might need an intervention!" a fan exclaimed. "Awful captain, awful leader. S**te team," a fan added.

Craig Berube takes opposite stance to Auston Matthews about team's current state

During his postgame presser, Leafs head coach Craig Berube said that the Leafs mentally switched off either side of the second intermission when the Predators came from 2-1 behind to take a 3-2 lead. Unlike Matthews, Berube wasn't pleased with the team's process in handling pressure.

“It is mental, for sure," Berube said. "We have to get through it. We have to get over that. We have to make better decisions throughout the game.”

This isn't the first time the Leafs coach has asked for more. As recently as Thursday, Berube was surprised by the Leafs' lack of passion after their 4-0 loss against the Washington Capitals. He had also indirectly demanded his leadership group to take more responsibility last week.

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Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy