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3 Awards Toronto Maple Leafs Could Win During 2021-22 Season

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - MAY 31: Josh Anderson #17 of the Montreal Canadiens is tripped up by Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during Game Seven of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on May 31, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Canadiens defeated the Map[le Leafs 3-1 to win series 4 games to 3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MAY 31: Josh Anderson #17 of the Montreal Canadiens is tripped up by Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during Game Seven of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on May 31, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Canadiens defeated the Map[le Leafs 3-1 to win series 4 games to 3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON – MAY 31: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs  (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

The Toronto Maple Leafs have the potential to win three individual awards this season.

It had been a very long time since a Toronto Maple Leafs player had won an individual award, but now that Auston Matthews is on the roster, it’s happened twice in the past four seasons.

After his magnificent rookie performance, Matthews won the Calder Trophy, as the league’s best rookie. He scored 40 goals in that inaugural season and gave Leafs fans hope that the future of this franchise was in good hands.

Ever since that rookie campaign, Matthews has scored at will and it was only a matter of time before he won another award. Finally, during the 2020-21 season, it all came together for him, as he scored 41 goals in a shortened 56-game season, beating the competition by eight goals.

If the regular season had been a normal 82-game campaign, it’s possible that he would have beat the competition by close to 17 goals, as Matthews was on-pace for 65 total goals last year.

It’s crazy that Matthews didn’t get more Hart Trophy votes because scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in hockey and to do it at a pace that is so much better than the rest of the league, is outstanding. Also, the fact that Toronto was the best team in their division should have helped his case, but when Connor McDavid scores 105 points in 56 games and laps the league in points, it makes sense why he was awarded that trophy instead.

It’ll be interesting to see how this season goes, as the NHL finally returns to a full 82-game schedule for the first time in two years, but those extra games should give a few Leafs an advantage.

Here are three awards that the Toronto Maple Leafs could win this year.

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