Auston Matthews Is the Toronto Maple Leafs All-Time Best Player
Matthews is an amped-up combination of Sundin and Keon. He has size, consistency, and reliability like Sundin, but is a better goal-scorer.
He also plays a strong defensive game like Keon. Matthews' takeaways regularly outnumber his giveaways and this past season he was a finalist for the Selke Trophy recognizing a forward's defensive aspects of the game.
Like Keon, Matthews is gathering an impression collection of individual hardware. He has already won four major awards thus far in his career.
The list includes the Calder Trophy, the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (3 times as the league's top goal scorer), the Hart Memorial Trophy (for Most Valuable Player), and the Ted Lindsay Award (Most Outstanding Player as voted by NHLPA members).
During the 2023-2024 season, his chase for seventy goals captivated the NHL. While falling one short of that milestone, Matthews set a new Leafs record with sixty-nine goals. He broke his team record of sixty achieved during the 2021-2022 season.
Matthews is an annual contender for the Rocket Richard Trophy. He will be a legitimate contender for the Lady Byng and Selke awards for years to come. There are likely to be more major NHL awards in his future.
In addition to that, he is setting new franchise standards in many important categories.