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Not one of the Leafs on the ice came to the defence of Matthews
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Published Mar 12, 2026 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 4 minute read
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Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is helped off the ice after a collision with Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas in Toronto on March 12, 2026. Photo by Nathan Denette /The Canadian PressArticle content
Within seconds of watching their captain get hurt on a knee-on-knee hit by Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas, the Maple Leafs did nothing.
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Not one of the Leafs on the ice — William Nylander, Easton Cowan, Morgan Rielly and Brandon Carlo — came to the defence of Auston Matthews, who was in obvious pain as he clutched his left knee following the incident late in the second period.
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For all of the embarrassing looks the Leafs have had in this 2025-26 season of disaster, the lack of response from Matthews’ teammates on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena is at the top of a long list.
The defensive woes that have plagued the Leafs night in, night out, we’ve become accustomed to those. Toronto can’t defend, it’s that simple, and nothing coach Craig Berube has tried to instil has made an impact. Structurally, the Leafs have no structure.
It’s a group, though, that has insisted it is tight and cares for each other, and wants nothing more than to work its way out of its troubles together.
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When it comes to defending their captain, however, apparently that off-ice cohesiveness doesn’t apply on the ice. When your captain, the face of the franchise, goes down and is subsequently helped off the ice with what the team called a lower-body injury, the instinct should be to respond accordingly.
“It’s insanity that these guys didn’t fly in there for their captain… It’s one of the lowest moments for me in this entire core’s tenure.”@JDBunkis and @SamAMcKee react to Radko Gudas’ knee-on-knee collision with Auston Matthews, and the Leafs’ lack of response. pic.twitter.com/BPPgCoEnQJ
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) March 13, 2026
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Letting any of the four other Leafs who were on the ice off the hook would be lame. Incidents like this are when you’re supposed to go against the grain and take matters into your own hands, or at the very least, make an attempt.
Without being asked whether he would, Rielly immediately put it on his own shoulders during his post-game availability.
‘I take full responsibility’
“I didn’t have a good view of it, because the puck was going the other way,” Rielly said. “But it’s on me for not responding earlier to Gudas. It’s a dirty hit.
“I didn’t understand how bad he got him in the moment, but I take full responsibility for not being the first one in there or being in there quicker to respond. That being said, I thought our group played well in the third and was able to respond. But ultimately, when your captain goes down like that on a dirty play, you have to respond as a group.”
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Said Nylander, who was not nearly as emphatic in his post-game words as Rielly was: “I didn’t really see what happened. I didn’t know the severity of it. Should have probably got in there … should have jumped in there. There were four guys on the ice who can get in there as well. It’s a full team thing. I think we did that in the third and made them pay for what they did to Matty.”
Remember what happened two years ago when the Ottawa Senators’ Ridly Greig fired a slapshot into an empty Toronto net to seal a Senators win? Rielly didn’t hesitate in going after the Ottawa forward, cross-checking Greig on the head.
Never mind the five-game suspension handed down to Rielly by the National Hockey League. At the time, his response went a long way with his teammates and Sheldon Keefe, the Leafs’ coach at the time.
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A similar reaction, or anything approaching physical contact with Gudas from any of the Leafs on the ice, would have been appropriate as Matthews was hunched over on the ice.
It was clear from what the players were saying afterward that the discussion in the dressing room during the second intermission had some heat to it, as it should have.
Craig Berube was not pleased with the Radko Gudas hit on Auston Matthews and felt there could’ve been a better physical response from his team at the time. pic.twitter.com/HpLYu8lsKz
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 13, 2026
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No good explanation
Berube, who is awfully good at publicly hiding his exasperation at times with this team, agreed with the notion that there was no good explanation for no response in the moment.
“We should have had four guys in there doing something about it, but it didn’t happen then,” Berube said. “But I thought they responded in the third. It was a good response there. But we all would have liked everybody to get in there right away.
“That’s a dirty play. The league is going to obviously look at it and see what the suspension will be, or whatever happens.”
The response in the third period was to score two goals, including one by Nylander during the Gudas major, to break a 3-3 tie and send to the Leafs to their first win in nine games.
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And there was physicality. Rookie Easton Cowan instigated a fight with Jackson LaCombe after the Ducks defenceman crushed Nick Robertson with a hit, but where was that when Matthews was writhing in pain?
Honestly, though, the victory doesn’t matter a whole heck of a lot. The Leafs are 11 points out of a wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and have 16 games remaining. For the first time in 10 years, they’re not going to go to the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s all but official.
What the Leafs can do in the next five weeks is put forth the kind of effort and play with the kind of intensity that could save face, even if just a bit.
We’re not going to hold our breath. If this team had it in themselves to do it consistently, it would have happened long ago.
Failure to stick up for Matthews in the moment speaks loudly. The Leafs in recent weeks mostly have played like they can’t wait for the season to come to an end.
An injury to their captain inflicted by a player who has a history of dirty hits — and who absolutely should be suspended by the NHL for this one — wasn’t going to get in the way of that.
X: @koshtorontosun
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