Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews Nominated for Lady Byng Trophy
The Toronto Maple Leafs may or may not have had Auston Matthews for last night's game seven (we wrote this article yesterday afternoon ahead of the game) but they did get some good news regardless:
Auston Matthews, the obvious and undisputated best player in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has been nominated for the Lady Byng trophy.
The award is given to the player who best exhibits gentlemanly play.
That means it tends to go to the player who is the most effective that takes the least penalties.
Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews Nominated for Lady Byng Trophy
Auston Matthews scored almost 70 goals and took only 10 minor penalties in 81 games.
Though the Lady Byng is often mocked due to hockey's tough-guy image, it is in fact a great award to win. If you are an effective player but you don't take any penalties, you are clearly helping your team a lot.
If you happen to score 70 goals and score 107 points while also playing elite defense (Matthews may yet get a nomination for the Selke Trophy) while barely taking any penalties? That's just insane.
Matthews is up against Jaccob Slavin and Elias Pettesson. but I think he'll probably win. I mean, you can never really guyess what the writers will decide but this seems like a shoe-in to make up for them note voting (I assume) for Matthews to win the Hart.
Jaccob Slavin has already won this award once, and other recent winners include Anze Kopitar, Kyle Connor and Nathan MacKinnon.
This is the third time that Auston Matthews has been nominatd for the Lady Byng trophy. Is the third time the charm?
Ultimately, no one really cares.
Yeah, it'd be nice to win another trophy, but the Hart Trophy and the Selke Trophy are far more popular and coveted awards, and Matthews should have a good shot at both of those.
If I had to guess, I say he doesn't win the Hart Trophy even though he deserves to. The voters are just too anti-Leafs to award it to him unless it's as clear cut as it was when he won it the first time.
This year, any of MacKinnon, Kucherov or McDavid would be worthy winners, so it will likely go to one of the guys who doesn't play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Selke might go to Matthews, though he probably doesn't deserve it if the award is for "best defensive forward." If it's the award for the best defensive forward who is also a game-breaking scorer, then he has a chance.
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Matthews probably isn't a good choice for the Selke, but just the fact that he's in the conversaton about it is pretty impressive.