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Toronto Maple Leafs: Superstar Auston Matthews Looking for More

By Jeremy Ridgewell

TAMPA, FLORIDA - JUNE 21: Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs speaks after being awarded the Ted Lindsay Award for the most outstanding player during the 2022 NHL Awards at Armature Works on June 21, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JUNE 21: Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs speaks after being awarded the Ted Lindsay Award for the most outstanding player during the 2022 NHL Awards at Armature Works on June 21, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews registered 60 goals and 46 assists for 106 points last season.

Can the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise player surpass those numbers this season? I think the answer is yes. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Matthews can surpass his stats from last season and enhance his Leafs records if he can stay healthy. He has struggled to stay healthy recently and has not played a complete season since his rookie season in 2016-17. By taking his stats from last season and calculating them over an entire 82-game season, he can get 67 goals and 51 assists for 118 points in 82 games. Having 118 points last season would have put him just five points behind Connor McDavid for the NHL points leader.

In the modern era of the NHL, it is rare to see a player score 60 goals in a season. Matthews could become the first player to have back-to-back 60-goal seasons in the salary cap era. A feat like that would only add to his incredible career so far. As good as Matthews has been in his first six seasons, I think he is just getting started. He has all the tools to achieve a level of greatness that we haven’t seen in a long time.

The chemistry that Matthews has with both of his linemates makes his job that much easier. Mitch Marner and Matthews gel so well together, and they keep improving. Michael Bunting’s fit on Matthews’ left side makes Toronto’s top line even more dangerous. I think we will see all three continue to evolve this season. Matthews will prove he can be a repeat 60-goal scorer, Marner will pass 100 points, and Bunting will prove that last season wasn’t a fluke.

Matthews can Achieve More Toronto Maple Leafs Greatness

Matthews needs 41 goals this season to move into fifth on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ all-time goals list. He also needs 81 points to move into Toronto’s top ten for all-time points. If Matthews is able to achieve both of these feats, he’ll pass Rick Vaive in both categories. He can do it one year after breaking Vaive’s Toronto goal-scoring record (54 goals).

At the rate Matthews is scoring goals, he will be third all-time for goals scored by a Maple Leaf by the time his current contract expires. Dave Keon is third all-time with 365 goals as a Maple Leaf. I believe Matthews will re-sign in Toronto, and during his next contract, he will become the Toronto Maple Leafs  all-time goals leader. The top spot currently belongs to Mats Sundin, with 420 goals.

Will Matthews be able to take over the top spot in Maple Leafs’ points? He will if he keeps having 100-point seasons. Sundin leads the all-time list with 987 points.

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Matthews is 530 points behind Sundin going into this season. He will need approximately five or six more seasons to surpass Sundin. I think he will do it and become the greatest player in Toronto Maple Leafs history.

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