Friday Four: Maple Leafs’ Matthews evolving into standout playmaker

The Friday Four is a collection of thoughts and information on some intriguing player storylines from around the NHL. On deck this week is:

• Matthews’ underrated playmaking ability
• Wild are a different team with Kaprizov
• Kuzmenko is a game changer for the Kings
• No signs of rust for Tkachuk

Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Typically, if Auston Matthews had just one goal in the first three games of a playoff series, you’d expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to be in very deep trouble. Instead, the Leafs are knocking on the door of the second round, after Simon Benoit’s crushing overtime winner on Thursday night. It’s another reason this Toronto team has a different feel about them this time around, despite returning a core group of players who have shared in so many past playoff disappointments. Matthews is not scoring at anywhere close to the rate we’re accustomed to, but he’s adapted his game, and it’s translating into something more important — wins. 

This season has been one shrouded in mystery for Matthews. 

What is his injury, and how bad is it? How effective can he be playing through it? Why did he fly to Germany for treatment? Will he play in the Four Nations Face-Off? Can the Leafs succeed if he’s not himself? 

We’ve found the answer to some of these questions, while others remain unclear. The last one in particular is most pressing at the moment, as the Leafs have embarked on what they hope will be a deep playoff run with Matthews not looking like the scoring machine he usually is. Coming off a 2023-24 campaign where he nearly reached 70 goals, Matthews only found the back of the net 33 times this year, a career low. His shot hasn’t had the same zip on it at times, likely due to the ailment he’s been battling.

All this isn’t to say Matthews has been ineffective. The 27-year-old has quietly morphed and evolved his game, setting up his teammates and becoming more of a facilitator. Despite playing just 67 games this season due to his injury, Matthews still had 45 assists, one short of his career high. Of those helpers, 27 were primary, again falling just short of his career-best mark of 29, even though he’s missed substantial time. Since the calendar turned to Jan. 1, only Nikita Kucherov and David Pastrnak have scored more points than Matthews, as the Leafs captain picked up 33 of his 45 assists over that span.

Matthews has never really been viewed as a great playmaker, but whether it’s out of necessity because of the limitations of his injury or the fact that Matthew Knies has emerged as a great scorer on his wing, he’s now added slick passes to his repertoire. This was evident in that big overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning late in the season that set the Leafs on a trajectory to win a division title, as Matthews found Knies with this gorgeous setup to end the game.

Even if he’s not 100 per cent, Matthews still attracts plenty of attention from the opposition, often leaving linemates wide open for high-quality opportunities, like Knies in this situation. It’s also important to note that great goal scorers like Matthews typically have good vision because they know where the puck needs to go and how it should get there. Case in point, Mitch Marner’s 100^th point this season came off a beautiful Matthews pass, with him knowing exactly where Marner would be, even if his back was to the play.

One thing that’s also aided Matthews’ development as a playmaker is his strong defensive play. He’s great at creating turnovers, and when you do that often enough, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to turn defence into offence on a quick counterattack. Matthews demonstrated that in Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators, breaking up a pass in the defensive zone and quickly threading a perfect feed to Marner for a breakaway, as the Leafs never looked back in claiming a dominant opening game victory.  

Matthews did not score until Game 3 of this series, something that in the past would’ve likely put the Leafs in a perilous spot heading into Game 4. Matthews, though, has four assists, and Toronto is in a great position to move on to the second round for only the second time in the Core Four era.

As much as the Maple Leafs have tried to change over the years, you can only look so different if you continue to run it back with Matthews, Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. You can change the supplementary pieces around your core, but ultimately, the success or failure of your team is going to fall on that nucleus. To their credit, though, the Leafs have done a good job of looking different from past years. Stylistically, they play differently under Craig Berube than they did under Sheldon Keefe. The development of players like Knies and Bobby McMann has made the Leafs more threatening offensively, and the injury to Matthews has perhaps unlocked an aspect of his game that few knew was there.  

If someone told you before the season that Matthews would finish with a career-low 33 goals, you probably wouldn’t have expected the Leafs to win the Atlantic Division and be on the cusp of the second round. I don’t think anyone is going to confuse Matthews with prime Adam Oates, but his playmaking ability has added a different element to this team.  

However, make no mistake about it, Matthews still loves to score. That was never more clear than his visceral reaction to snapping one past Linus Ullmark in Game 3. It’s likely that a fully healthy Matthews returns to competing for the Rocket Richard Trophy once again next season, but this scoring sabbatical has made him an even more well-rounded player than he was before.  

Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild 

On paper, most people filling out their playoff bracket viewed the clash between Minnesota and Vegas as one of the more lopsided matchups of the opening round, and understandably so.  

The Wild really struggled down the stretch, losing six of seven games in late March and early April, as they barely hung onto their wild-card spot from the hard-charging Calgary Flames. It’s easy to forget, though, that the Wild were missing Kirill Kaprizov for significant portions of this season, and that was a big reason why they weren’t in a better position in the standings. Minnesota is a much different team with Kaprizov, and a healthy No. 97 makes the matchup with the Golden Knights much more interesting.

During the regular season, the Wild went 25-13-3 with Kaprizov in the lineup, which works out to a 106-point pace. Kaprizov also tallied 56 points in the 41 games he’s played this year, which would put him on track for 112 points extrapolated over 82 games. Only two players had more than that this season. Since Kaprizov missed half the year, Minnesota finished just 25^th overall in goals for, but plays like this prove that the Wild are going to be a handful, even for a defence corps as deep as Vegas boasts.  

Kaprizov has four goals and seven points in the first three games against Vegas and has by far been the best player in the series, as the Wild have the Golden Knights reeling. Conversely, the top players for Vegas haven’t contributed nearly as much. Both Jack Eichel and Mark Stone have yet to get on the scoresheet. If that doesn’t change, Minnesota has a real shot to pull off an upset and bust some brackets in the process.

Andrei Kuzmenko, Los Angeles Kings 

The jury is still out on who the best trade deadline acquisition was this season, but right now, Andrei Kuzmenko is making a case for the distinction.  

Kuzmenko has made a significant impact against the Edmonton Oilers so far, picking up five points in the first two games, including a pair of power-play goals. The Los Angeles Kings forward is picking up right where he left off in the regular season, where he notched 17 points in 22 games after coming over from the Philadelphia Flyers. Kuzmenko was running out of chances after playing for four different teams since the 2023-24 campaign, but has found a home on the Kings’ top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe.  

What makes Kuzmenko so important to the Kings right now is that he makes them a more dynamic team that is much better equipped to beat the Edmonton Oilers this spring. The Kings would’ve had a hard time winning a high-scoring, 6-5 game in previous years, but players like Kuzmenko and the emerging Quinton Byfield have Los Angeles much better prepared to trade goals with the Oilers. After two games, the Kings have already found the back of the net 12 times.  

Edmonton has always had the more high-end offensive talent in their lineup in what feels like an annual meeting with the Kings, and that remains the case, but someone like Kuzmenko has made Los Angeles much more than just a well-structured defensive team. The Kings won’t fear going shot-for-shot with the Oilers like they may have in the past. 

Kuzmenko was almost an afterthought at the deadline this year, but it’s easy to forget it was only two years ago when he scored 39 goals. He definitely runs hot and cold, but when he’s on, Kuzmenko can be a real offensive contributor and a real difference for the Kings. Perhaps he’ll be the unsung hero that finally helps Los Angeles get by Edmonton and advance to the second round.

Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers 

If Matthew Tkachuk is trying to shake off some rust after being out of action for such a long time, he sure is hiding it well.  

Tkachuk exploded out of the gates in Game 1 versus Tampa Bay, scoring twice and adding an assist, as the Florida Panthers overwhelmed the Lightning for a 6-2 victory. We last saw Tkachuk in the final of the Four Nations Face-Off, where he played less than seven minutes before leaving with an injury, one that some have speculated may leave him less than 100 per cent for these playoffs.

If Tkachuk isn’t fully healthy, the Panthers did a great job of not overtaxing him in the first two games of this series. He ended up playing just 11:43 in Game 1 and 13:31 in Game 2, and managing Tkachuk’s minutes will be key if Florida plans to go on another long run. There are several Panthers players who have played deep into June over the past two years, and the injuries have specifically piled up for Tkachuk. A Florida squad that includes Tkachuk is a different animal for the opposition to deal with, even if he isn’t getting huge minutes right now.  

Many had tabbed the Lightning as the team to beat in the East because of their strong underlying numbers and excellent play in the second half of the season. That, combined with the Panthers fading down the stretch because of injuries, made Tampa a trendy pick to knock out the defending champs in the first round. Tkachuk and company are quickly proving they aren’t going to go quietly, and they are built for this time of year. They may have finished third in the Atlantic and maybe didn’t look as strong heading into the post-season as they did in previous years, but it would be foolish to write them off. For my money, the Panthers will still be the toughest out of these playoffs, especially with a healthy Matthew Tkachuk.

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