{"id":86067,"date":"2025-08-21T23:02:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T23:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/86067\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T23:02:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T23:02:08","slug":"maple-leafs-fans-furious-after-former-nhlers-absurd-remark-about-auston-matthews-and-another-rising-nhl-superstar-nhl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/86067\/","title":{"rendered":"Maple Leafs fans furious after former NHLer\u2019s absurd remark about Auston Matthews and another rising NHL superstar | NHL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MapleMike Rupp sparks backlash with puzzling remark on Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes (TSN.ca) Former NHL forward and current analyst Mike Rupp has found himself in hot water with Maple Leafs fans after making a surprising claim about team captain Auston Matthews. Despite Matthews\u2019 proven track record as one of the league\u2019s most elite scorers, Rupp suggested that he would take New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes over the Leafs\u2019 centerpiece\u2014an opinion that immediately set off a firestorm among hockey faithful.<\/p>\n

Mike Rupp\u2019s absurd comparison stirs Leafs Nation<\/p>\n

While Auston Matthews is gearing up for a bounce-back year, Mike Rupp was busy making headlines of his own during a top-20 centers ranking segment on NHL Network. Discussing Matthews\u2019 placement at seventh overall, Rupp delivered the line that left many stunned: \u201cA healthy Jack Hughes, I would take him over Auston Matthews.\u201dThe comment quickly went viral, with Leafs fans questioning how such a statement could hold weight. Hughes, though immensely talented, has already faced more serious injury setbacks in his young career, including two shoulder surgeries. Comparing him to Matthews\u2014who has repeatedly proven himself on the biggest stage\u2014felt baffling to many.What isn\u2019t up for debate is that Auston Matthews remains one of the NHL\u2019s most dominant forwards. And if his clean bill of health holds true, Toronto\u2019s captain could silence doubters like Rupp in the best way possible\u2014by lighting up the scoresheet yet again.<\/p>\n

Auston Matthews proves his worth despite injuries<\/p>\n

Auston Matthews\u2019 2022\u201323 season was anything but smooth. The Leafs\u2019 superstar battled through lingering injuries dating back to training camp, yet still managed to record 33 goals and 78 points in just 67 regular-season games. For most players, those numbers would be career highlights. For Matthews, they were considered a \u201cdown year.\u201d That alone speaks volumes about the kind of offensive force he brings to Toronto\u2019s lineup.This summer, Matthews participated in the annual Hockey Night in Brampton charity event, where he confirmed he\u2019s finally healthy heading into the new campaign. A fully fit Matthews means trouble for opposing goaltenders, as he sets his eyes on a potential fourth Rocket Richard Trophy. With his scoring pedigree and two separate 60-goal seasons under his belt, few players in the league can claim to match his consistency when healthy.Also Read: Can Auston Matthews bounce back? Analyst predicts Maple Leafs star will prove his doubters wrong this year<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mike Rupp sparks backlash with puzzling remark on Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes (TSN.ca) Former NHL forward and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,2368,63,8550,64355,29938,64356,64357,7519,575,54981,85],"class_list":["post-86067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-auston-matthews","tag-australia","tag-hockey-news","tag-jack-hughes","tag-maple-leafs","tag-maple-leafs-fans","tag-mike-rupp","tag-new-jersey-devils","tag-nhl","tag-nhl-network","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}