Toronto’s Auston Matthews is experiencing a quieter scoring start this season, with his usual prolific touch noticeably absent. While he continues to drive play, a dip in production, exacerbated by past injuries and the absence of Mitch Marner’s playmaking, has sparked concern. The team’s power play struggles further complicate his scoring opportunities.

Toronto entered this season expecting Auston Matthews to once again lead the charge, but the early stretch has taken on a different tone. Fans still see him control shifts and push the tempo, yet his finishing touch has not carried the same spark. The numbers show a quieter start, and the feeling around the team reflects it. Toronto needs goals, and the responsibility keeps falling back on the same shoulders.

Auston Matthews' Goal Scoring Gets Questioned in Mitch Marner's Absence - Athlon Sports

Auston Matthews Maple Leafs (Getty Images)

The team has won more often lately, but the concern around Matthews’ production has not faded. At 12 goals through 24 games, he scores at a pace that sits below his trademark standard. For a player who once made sixty goals feel normal, this kind of return stands out. It has opened a real conversation about what has changed around him.

Auston Matthews still carries the Toronto Maple Leafs’ attack

Craig Button brought the key point to light on his appearance on Jay on SC. He did not circle around the issue. He went right at what many have been thinking. “Auston Matthews is still a very dangerous goal scorer, [but] let’s not bury the lede… no Mitch Marner,” Button said. “So, when you think about the brilliance of Auston Matthews’ finishing, you’ve got the brilliance of the setup guy [Mitch Marner too].”

Marner’s absence matters because he once delivered passes that landed perfectly on Matthews’ blade. Those plays are gone now, and Toronto has not found another winger who creates that same rhythm.

Matthews still drives play, and his plus-minus of 12 reflects how often he pulls the game in Toronto’s direction. Even so, the injuries he dealt with in the past two seasons have slowed him. The lower-body issue that cost him five games this year and the upper-body problem last season broke his flow more than most realize.

Marner’s success in Vegas only sharpens the contrast. He has 29 points in 29 games and lifts the Golden Knights with the same touch that once helped Matthews chase historic goal totals. Toronto’s power play has also dipped to the bottom of the league, which forces Matthews into heavier coverage and reduces his open looks.

Auston Matthews' goal touch under the microscope as Mitch Marner's absence exposes Maple Leafs' reliance on star duo | NHL News - The Times of India

He still collects chances and sits at 20 points in 24 games, but the smooth edge that once produced 69 goals has not appeared. Matthews remains vital to Toronto’s push, yet the question now hangs over every game. Can he reclaim that unstoppable level, or has the landscape around him shifted too far?