Auston Matthews Proves Once Again Why He's a Great Captain After Standing Up for Mitch Marner

It was another disappointing night for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the St. Louis Blues. Spoiling a dual homecoming for Craig Berube and Joseph Woll, the Blues dominated after losing defenseman Phillip Broberg earlier in the game.. Backed by two goals by Colton Parayko and a strong performance from Jordan Binnington, St. Louis skated away with a 4-2 victory.

It could have been 4-3 had Mitch Marner been able to poke a loose puck past Binnington, though he was denied on the play. That didn't sit well with Ryan Suter, who knocked Marner down in retaliation for the goal-scoring opportunity. Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews took umbrage to Suter's hit and delivered a receipt for bullying his teammate:

Although the cross-check did end up in a roughing penalty for Matthews, it's a small consolation to remind Suter that if you're going to mess around with any of the Maple Leafs, you'll feel the wrath of the captain. It's a different way of going about things, as John Tavares most likely would not have acted so aggressively to Suter, and would have decided to chat things out. Matthews has an edge to him that doesn't often come out, but if provoked he can be a scary sight.

His head coach certainly appreciated the gesture, unbothered by the penalty call as he was fully aware of Matthews' intentions:

It's great to see the head coach give Matthews kudos for his receipt, as it was something Berube himself would have done in his playing days.

Marner has been fantastic this year for the Maple Leafs, and it's great to see his captain and linemate come to his side; though his team wishes he would shoot a bit more. Leading the team in points with 13 (2G, 11A) he's been his normal dynamic self, and the Maple Leafs need him to be outstanding if they want to have any chance of a successful playoff run. If Toronto ended up losing Marner to an injury because of Suter's hit or if Matthews did nothing, it would set a precedent to the league that you can do whatever you want, with zero consequence; from officials or players.

It's been great to see Auston Matthews so far as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he's shown why he was the right man for the job. His cross-check to Suter may have cost him two minutes, but it's a small price to pay for him to show teams he's not just a goal-scoring threat.