Auston Matthews Officially Has A New Role

Auston Matthews officially has a new role with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Matthews New Role

Training camps are well under way and with that, we are seeing new experiments. For example, the Leafs are trying William Nylander at center despite the fact he is a natural winger.


Another big change is being made with Sheldon Keefe placing more responsibility on Auston Matthews.



Matthews heading to the penalty kill makes a lot of sense considering how defensively sound the 2022 Hart Trophy winner is.

Could Matthews Become An All Situations Player

Matthews has routinely been compared to Connor McDavid and the consensus area where Matthews is better than McDavid is his defense. Mitch Marner currently plays on the PK and his chemistry with Matthews could be a dual threat for the Leafs.

Other teams have adopted the practice of putting their stars on the penalty kill and it works for "power kill" which sees them having more short-handed opportunities.


While Matthews would need to improve a bit more before pairing up with Marner on the first penalty kill unit, he could certainly get there if Sheldon Keefe decides that is what he needs of his superstar.