Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s best player last season. He also won the Ted Lindsay award.
He scored 50 goals in 50 games, while having possibly the best season anyone has had since the mid-90s when Mario Lemieux 69 goals in 70 games.
For the second consecutive season, Auston Matthews led the NHL in goals.
He recorded 60 goals and 46 assists for 106 points in 73 games last season. The 60 goals allowed him to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the second time in two years.
On top of all that, Matthews became a better two-way player last season. He recorded 92 takeaways compared to 48 giveaways. He is a Selke Trophy candidate who is among the best defensive players in the NHL.
That obviously makes him the NHL’s best two-way player.
Like Marner, Matthews has received criticism for not providing enough offense in the playoffs. But let’s be realistic: against Montreal he couldn’t shoot the puck, and four goals in seven games against Andre Vasilevkiy is something beyond reproach.
In last season’s seven-game first-round series against Tampa, Matthews recorded four goals and five assists for nine points in seven games. The Toronto Maple Leafs scored 64% of the goals while he was on the ice, and he finished a series against a team that went to the Finals three years in a row with a 62% Expected Goals rating.
Matthews did everything he could to help the Leafs advance, the loss is not on him at all. If there was a higher grade, we’d give it to him.