Auston Matthews is having the very best season of his profession and the very best scoring season within the storied historical past of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nevertheless it received’t imply a lot except he and his crew can lastly get it collectively within the N.H.L. playoffs.
In his first 5 seasons after being chosen first general by Toronto within the 2016 N.H.L. draft, Matthews scored 40, 34, 37, 47, and 41 targets, so loads of individuals anticipated him to push on for 50 this season. However few anticipated him to have 58, with 5 video games nonetheless remaining for his crew.
It’s the highest complete within the league since Steven Stamkos had 60 for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011-12. Extra necessary for Toronto followers, it’s a Leafs report, surpassing the 54 scored by Rick Vaive in 1981-82.
That places Matthews, 24, above loads of Leafs greats from through the years, together with legends like Mats Sundin, Dave Keon, Darryl Sittler and Frank Mahovlich.
His 44 assists are additionally a profession excessive, as are his marks in pictures, takeaways and even face-off win share. He leads the league in hat tips, with 4, double anybody else. And all these numbers come regardless of his sitting out the crew’s final two video games with a minor injury, resting for the playoffs that start on Could 2. (All numbers by Tuesday night time’s video games.)
That suite of statistics has made him a favourite to wrest the Hart Memorial Trophy as Most worthy participant away from Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
As with nearly any participant who considerably will increase his purpose complete, Matthews is taking pictures considerably extra, 563 occasions to date, with 330 of them on internet. However his taking pictures share this season, 17.6, is correct in keeping with his profession numbers, an indication that his workload is rising organically and never that he has been hogging the puck.
One more reason gamers’ purpose totals instantly enhance is as a result of they’re more and more used on the facility play. Whereas Matthews’s energy play purpose complete, 15, is a profession excessive, it’s in keeping with his final two full seasons, when he had 12 in every. (He had 10 final season in 52 video games.) His even-strength targets complete of 43 to date is eight greater than his profession greatest and 10 greater than the closest competitor within the league.
(Brief-handed play is just not part of Matthews’s sport. He has no targets or assists, and only one shot short-handed in his profession.)
And whereas protection is more durable to quantify, and typically not as necessary to a middle, Matthews is widely touted as a standout on that finish of the ice as nicely.
Matthews owes a few of his success to a line that’s significantly clicking. His proper wing, Mitch Marner, has 61 assists, rating him within the prime 10 within the league, and left wing Michael Bunting is a candidate to be rookie of the 12 months at age 26.
The tip result’s that the Leafs have 108 factors, third greatest within the league, and are being talked up as a real Stanley Cup contender.
However nobody is engraving their names on the trophy simply but. Partially that’s as a result of the groups above them, the Florida Panthers and the Colorado Avalanche, each look distinctive. However it’s also as a result of the Leafs have had a behavior of crashing within the playoffs, typically to groups that look worse on paper.
Final season, the crew took a 3-1 collection lead within the first spherical towards the Montreal Canadiens, solely to lose two video games in additional time after which Recreation 7 at residence. Matthews failed to attain in any of these final three video games.
In 2020, they misplaced within the qualifying spherical to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 2019 and 2018, they misplaced to the Boston Bruins within the opening spherical in seven video games.
The crew has not received any playoff collection since 2004 and has not received the Cup since 1967.
When groups lose numerous shut collection, there are two frequent explanations. One is that they had been unfortunate. The opposite is that they in some way couldn’t ship within the clutch. Leafs followers might be hoping exhausting that the primary rationalization applies to their crew.
It’s a quirk of the present N.H.L. that maybe its two largest stars, Matthews and McDavid, have did not go on playoff runs. McDavid, the reigning M.V.P. with the Edmonton Oilers, is now in his seventh 12 months, however has only one playoff-round win.
Though not notably heralded this 12 months, the Oilers do look set for the playoffs. A Leafs-Oilers Stanley Cup ultimate, anybody, with Matthews and McDavid contesting the opening face-off?
Two units of Canadian followers would like to see it, and you think numerous impartial followers would additionally. It’d assist to make up for the United States-Canada Olympic gold medal sport we by no means bought.
