5 Tasty Predictions for the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2023-24 Season
1. Auston Matthews Scores 50 Goals,100 Points
After winning the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player back in 2021-22 with his 60-goal season, Auston Matthews had, by his incredible standards, an off year in 2022-23.
It wasn’t like he was all that terrible, as he still ended up with 40 goals and 45 assists for 85 points on the season, along with incredible advanced stats, even if they were slightly lower than in his MVP season.
An undisclosed lingering injury persisted for Matthews throughout last season limiting his offense and his overall effectiveness. When Matthews is on, he may be the best 5v5 player in the NHL and even though he may not have been as consistent last year as he was the year before, he was still among the NHL’s best overall players, especially 5v5.
As one would recall, he did sit out a few games at certain times of the year in 2022-23 to nurse an ongoing ailment.
Nevertheless, he should be back to 100% full health now and is raring to go once again to help the Leafs avenge their second round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers.
In doing so, look for Matthews leading the charge once again in 2023-24 with a 50-goal, 100-point season, helping the team secure a top playoff spot heading into the postseason.