The Greatest Individual Toronto Maple Leafs Performances of All-Time

Number 3: Auston Matthews’ Four Goals in his NHL Debut

Toronto Maple Leafs management and fans alike rejoiced when the buds won the 2016 draft lottery and the opportunity to choose first overall in the 2016 entry draft.

The only question remaining was which teenage phenom the buds would opt for at number one- the Finnish phenom, Patrick Laine, or the American Swiss League superstar, Auston Matthews, of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The smart money was on Matthews going at number one, and indeed that’s the way it turned out.

As the 2016-17 season approached, Leafs Nation was giddy with anticipation, hoping that the hype surrounding Matthews was justified. Would the buds’ first overall pick since 1985 be worth the wait?

Matthews didn’t take long to answer this and any other questions with an NHL debut unlike any other in league history.

In the season opener against the Ottawa Senators, in Ottawa, on October 13, 2016, Matthews became the first NHL player of the Modern Era (post 1943) to score four goals in his first game.

Most noteworthy of these goals was his second-an impressive individual effort of skill that saw him steal the puck from Senators superstar defenceman Erik Karlsson, freeze goalie Craig Anderson and defenceman Mark Methot with a look to pass to William Nylander before snapping a shot under a stunned Anderson.

Matthews added two more goals in the second period for four in total, and he did so with only 11 minutes of ice time.

Despite losing the game 5-4, Matthews had shown Leafs Nation that things were about to change quicky and better days were finally…. coming.