Auston Matthews' Role Reportedly Changing in a Big Way for the Maple Leafs Next Season

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the midst of a busy offseason that has brought significant changes to their lineup.

The departure of superstar winger Mitch Marner has left a major void offensively. While the Leafs have added players like the versatile Nicolas Roy, who can play wing or center and contribute on the PK and the 2nd PP unit. Their offseason acquisitions have primarily focused on depth, versatility, and defensive reliability rather than pure scoring.

That lost offense may be recouped internally, most likely from Auston Matthews, if players like Roy and a fully season of Scott Laughton can shoulder more of the defensive workload at center.

As Mark Masters noted on TSN's OverDrive:

Last season, Matthews battled through a nagging injury all season, which kept him out of the lineup at times and prevented him from playing at 100%, especially on offence.

Despite that, he still managed 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games, along with 3 goals and 11 points in 13 playoff games. While those are strong statistics by NHL standards, those numbers fell short of expectations for a two-time 60-goal scorer.

Matthews has embraced his evolution into one of the league's top two-way centers with the help from new head coach Craig Berube. But with the personnel changes, Matthews' D-zone starts should reduce -- giving him more freedom to focus on what he does best, which is scoring goals.

The Maple Leafs' identity has clearly shifted this offseason. With added size, strength, and defensive responsibility throughout the lineup, the final piece of the puzzle is for their superstars, led by captain Auston Matthews, to figure it out and light the lamp at an improved rate over last season.