As the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves down 3-2 against the Florida Panthers in the second round, everyone is looking to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to step up. Matthews, who is the highest-paid player in the league and the team captain, hasn’t really stepped up when it’s been most crucial. Marner, who’s likely to be earning a salary close to Matthews’ soon, has also struggled in key moments.

With a solid and determined Panthers team on the other side, it’s becoming more obvious that their lack of impact is really standing out with every game — particularly since they’re expected to shoulder so much of the offensive load.

On the Real Kyper & Bourne hockey podcast over on Sportsnet’s YouTube channel, Nick Kypreos, who’s a former Stanley Cup champion, shared some thoughts that a lot of folks in the league know but don’t often say out loud. He said, “Our whole game, our history, has always been about the stars. Okay. High notes, best players as a role player, as a player, that was a very, very, very tiny piece of a Stanley Cup championship. We’re just like fillers, man. We can just, and sometimes we can hold it if they’re, if they’re not going, there’s guys that can kind of buy them time, buy them time.”

Kypreos is making it clear that there’s a big difference between role players like him and the real stars of a hockey team. He points out that the whole setup of the game—its history, success, and culture—really hinges on that elite talent. Who are you thinking of? So, it’s pretty clear that Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews are the standout players for the Maple Leafs. He gets that his role as a supporting player wasn’t about leading the charge but rather about backing up the team’s top performers and making sure he holds his own.

When those stars stumbled, there was only so much the rest of the team could handle before everything started to unravel. “But then, eventually, they got to come back and perform, or else it’s over. It’s over. Every time I’ve walked into an NHL dressing room to get dressed, I know the guys that are going to have to help me look good. I can’t ever hit their level. They are better than me. They’re, they’re, they’re just gifted. They’re gifted. Like, I can never be gifted. And if they’re not going, I’m done,” said the Stanley Cup champion.

Kypreos paints a pretty tough picture — one that really hits home for what’s going on in Toronto right now. His comments highlight how locker room culture tends to revolve around the top players. When they’re not doing well, it brings everyone else down too. Kypreos is expressing a common frustration that many in Toronto have felt for years: there’s a noticeable gap between the cost and reputation of the Maple Leafs’ core players and what they actually deliver when it matters most.

As the Maple Leafs gear up for a big Game 6, these comments are a timely reminder that the NHL’s highest-paid players aren’t just in it for the regular season performance. They’re getting paid to create some history in May and June. At the moment, it seems like Matthews and Marner are not quite measuring up — and the locker room is definitely aware of it. The team’s captain has stepped up to address the growing criticism surrounding these claims.

Auston Matthews is aware of what’s going on

Auston Matthews, dealing with some tough feedback about his performance in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, took a moment to acknowledge the concerns while also sharing a hopeful outlook.

“I mean, I think everybody’s got to look in the mirror, like I said. You know, myself included. Everybody wants to be better. Everybody wants to obviously win. And, you know, we’ve been a great road team all season long. You know, there’s always going to be belief in this group and a confidence in this group from what we built off throughout the year. So we’ve got to go into this game with confidence, and it’s got to be our best game of the year,” said the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Matthews recognized the importance of self-reflection and made sure to include himself in the call for improvement, highlighting that the whole team is responsible for where they currently stand. Even with the pressure mounting, Matthews found some confidence in the Leafs’ solid road record during the regular season as they geared up for a crucial Game 6 against Florida. He made it clear that there’s still faith in the team’s identity and success over the year, but now it’s time to turn that belief into action.

With the team at a crossroads and the captain feeling the pressure, he presented the next game as more than just another hurdle—it was their chance to make a statement.