No. 5: Auston Matthews Does Not Win Rocket Richard Trophy
Scoring 69 goals and chasing 70 was an unbelievable achievement last year, but Matthews faded in the playoffs, whether due to fatigue, sickness or injury.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need Matthews to score more in the playoffs and so I'm predicting that Matthews may not have the same highs as last year as he and the Leafs manage his minutes and usage to save more for when it matters.
As much as I'd love to see Matthews try to score 70 goals or even go for 80 this year, it's in the best interest of the team for him to score less. This may sound like a crazy statement, but if he rested for a few games here and there, perhaps the Leafs playoff record would benefit for it.
Personally, I think going for 70 goals last year hurt him in the playoffs, as it felt like he played through an injury to go for that feat.
That's the last thing you want from your best player heading into the playoffs, so the team should be more focused about him staying healthy and being the best overall player he can be.
With that being said, Matthews will finish with 52 goals, 58 assists for 110 points and still be a Hart Trophy candidate, yet will fall short of the Rocket Richard Trophy.