Toronto Maple Leafs' struggles with the man advantage stand in contrast to an otherwise respectable offensive season, led by captain Auston Matthews. At 13-11-3, the Leafs remain inconsistent, hampered by special teams issues.On Thursday’s Leafs Morning Take, veteran columnist Steve Simmons ignited controversy with a scathing critique of the Maple Leafs’ power play setup, directing most of his ire at the deployment of captain Matthews.With Toronto placed near the bottom of the league in power play efficiency while teams like the Penguins at 34.4 percent and Oilers at 32.4 percent thrive, Simmons argued the Leafs are misusing one of the NHL’s most gifted goal scorers."I would say four or five absolute scores, like the Ovechkin elite, the Mike Bossy elite, you know, Auston Matthews is one of those guys," Simmons said. "What in God's name he's doing at the point on a power play is a disgrace to hockey. It really is."I mean, he we're talking about, you know, the top three shooters in the NHL, and he's not in position. He has one power play ball. The first thing I'm doing is saying, "Okay, this is Auston Matthews's spot. This is where we're going to get him to pop the score. Now let's build the other five, four other four guys.""Simmons is unhappy that Matthews, one of the league’s truly elite shooters, has been stationed away from his natural scoring area. He likened Matthews to legends such as Alex Ovechkin and Mike Bossy, players whose power play dominance came from being positioned to shoot.Simmons questioned why assistant coach Mark Savard, responsible for the power play, has not adjusted, and wondered why head coach Craig Berube has not intervened."When it’s not working, that is when the head coach has to jump in and say, ‘This is wrong. We have to change this, guys.’"The Leafs are surging under Auston Matthews' captaincyAuston Matthews has delivered a good but muted start to his second full year as captain. So far in the 2025-26 season, he has scored 11 goals and registered 19 points in 22 games while working to regain the dominant scoring form he displayed prior to last season’s injuries.The Leafs are beginning to find consistency with three back-to-back wins against strong teams like the Penguins (7-2), Panthers (4-1), and Hurricanes (5-1). And, it would only help the team if Matthews is better utilized on the power play.Whether Simmons’ critique sparks adjustments remains to be seen, but his message was clear. Toronto will not maximize its stars or its season until its power play philosophy changes.