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Toronto Maple Leafs: Rocket Richard Trophy Within Reach for Matthews

By James Tanner

Mar 14, 2017; Sunrise, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) skates before a game against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2017; Sunrise, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) skates before a game against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews is making a late run for the Richard Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s leader in goals.

The odds are long, time is short, but it’s not impossible that Matthews can become the first member of the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the award.

With four games to go, Matthews now has 39 goals, good for second in the NHL.  Crosby, who has played six games less than Matthews, is at 43 goals on the year.

I acknowledge that it’s unlikely that Matthews will win, as he’d need a minimum of five goals in the last four games, coupled with no goals from Crosby. Additionally, Matthews would need to see Marchand, Kucherov and Tarasenko also fail to accumulate many more goals.

That being said, we’re so far from where we thought we’d be that this is just fun to talk about.

Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews on Fire

Since the Leafs went on a terrible western road-swing in early March, their record is an incredible 11-2-1.  When the games got important, they really came through.

If you are wondering how the Leafs put together such a run, look no further than team MVP Auston Matthews.  Matthews went seven games without a point.  This corresponded to the Leafs poor western trip and the first several games of their current run.  But then he caught fire.

Matthews is currently on a nine-game scoring streak where he has 12 points.  Additionally, he has scored goals in each of the last five games (six goals total).

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Interesting Facts

Auston Matthews may not win the Richard, and he may have played in more games than Crosby, but there are definitely some factors in his favor which make him appear even better than the raw numbers.

  • Both Marchand and Crosby play 2+ more minutes per night than Matthews does.
  • No other top-ten goal scorer plays less per game than Matthews
  • 13 of Crosby’s goals, and 12 of Marchand’s goals come on special teams. Matthews only has eight.
  • Crosby and Marchand both are shooting over 17%, Matthews just 14.6%
  • Matthews leads Crosby by four goals (30) for most 5v5 goals.

Leading at even-strength is more impressive than leading overall.  Doing it with a lower shooting percentage means his production is more sustainable.  Doing it in less ice-time means he’d have even more if he played as much as he would if a) Babcock wasn’t easing him at first b) the Leafs weren’t so deep c) he wasn’t a rookie.

The only conclusion that we can draw here is that Matthews has been the best goal scorer in the NHL this season.  He probably won’t win the Richard Trophy, but he does have an outside chance.

There is a lot to like about this year’s Toronto Maple Leafs, but the fact that they might have the NHL’s best goal scorer, and that he’s only a rookie, is perhaps the best thing of all.

All stats from hockey-reference.com  and corsica.hockey

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