Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is on the brink of making franchise history.
Matthews, chosen 1st overall in 2016 by Toronto, heads into action on Saturday, January 3rd at Long Island against the New York Islanders, only one goal shy of trying former Leafs legend/captain and Hall of Famer Mats Sundin for the all-time franchise lead of 420 goals.
"It's exciting, but I try not to put too much thought into it," Matthews said. "I'll talke each game as it comes and just go from there."
It's been a tough year for the 28-year-old, who started the New Year with a bang by scoring three goals in a four-point outing during a wild 6-5 win at Scotiabank Arena against the Winnipeg Jets.
Since the Christmas break, Matthews has produced four goals and eight points.
Matthews, who now has 14 career hat-tricks, made Leafs history in that Jets game by scoring his 232nd goal on home ice, which moved him past another former captain and Hall of Fame legend in Darryl Sittler for most franchise goals scored at home.
When the subject of being on the cusp of tying and passing Sundin for the team's all-time goal lead was brought up Matthews stated,
"It's special to be in the same sentence as him... Definitely means a lot. Try not to think about it, but it's hard when you guys (media) bring it up every day. When that moment comes, it will be very cool. Just very humbling."
During his Hall of Fame career, Matthews has hit the 60-goal mark on two occassions, including in 2023-24 when he set a franchise record with 69 goals in a season during what was a career best 107-point season.
Right from his first game, Matthews showed what he was all about when he set a record by becoming the first in modern NHL history to score four goals in his debut, which came in a 5-4 OT loss against the Ottawa Senators.
Matthews, who is a three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner (2021, 2022 and 2024), experienced another huge thrill when, on Friday, January 2nd, he was, to no one's surprise, included on the USA Olympic Roster.
Meanwhile, Sundin played 11 of his 18 seasons with the Leafs, where this popular Swede totalled 987 points. During his time from 1994-2009 as a Leaf, he served as captain from 1998-2008. In his career, Sundin also played for the Quebec Nordiques, Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks.
In 1,346 total NHL games, Sundin scored 564 goals along with 1,349 points and 1,093 PIMs.
Showing what a class guy he is, Sundin has been rooting for Matthews in his chase to be the new franchise all-time goal scoring leader.
“I’ll congratulate him now,” Sundin said. “I said before and said it again, I’m cheering for him to do it.” “He’s a special player and a special person.”
Matthews indeed is a special player who arguably can be classified as the greatest player to suit up for the Leafs.