Through 15 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs offense has been the clear strength of the team, ranking top three in the NHL at 3.73 goals per game, tied with the Carolina Hurricanes.
It is a very positive sign for a largely turned-over forward group that was a question mark entering the season. Several players have taken charge, and the leader of that charge has been captain Auston Matthews.
The lethal shooting center has not only reminded fans that he is one of the league's best centers, but one of its best players. After recording his first season below a point per game since his rookie year, Matthews has bounced back in a major way with ten goals and 13 assists for 23 points in 15 games.
The 29-year-old is just one point behind the second- and third-place scorers, Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov and Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl, while Edmonton captain Connor McDavid holds a sizeable lead with 36 points in 13 games.
Matthews may not catch McDavid, but he is on pace for easily the best season of his career, tracking toward nearly 130 points and his third 55-goal season. His assist numbers are up sharply too as he is on pace for 73, which would be 27 more than his career high of 46 from the 2021-22 season.
The Arizona native has gelled with every winger he has played alongside, and the retooled Maple Leafs offense is giving him more chances to play with star talent than in years past. William Nylander, Jack Roslovic, Kirill Marchenko and Easton Cowan have all been at or within a point of a point-per-game pace, and rookie Gavin McKenna has also been a standout, with 11 points through the first 15 games of his NHL career.
That depth on the wings gives Matthews a solid case for a career year. Even with recent injuries, including to Marchenko, he has stayed on track and looked like the best version of himself in years.
The power play has also been lethal for Toronto with the fourth-best rate in the NHL at 31.3 percent with Matthews also leading the special teams with nine points on the man advantage.
Impact goes beyond the scoresheet
The underlying metrics are equally impressive, with Matthews ranking in the 92nd percentile with 117 speed bursts between 29 and 32 kilometres per hour, nearly 48 more than the league average. He has also recorded 23 bursts between 32 and 35 kilometres per hour, seven above the league average and good for the 75th percentile.
His skating ability has allowed him to cover more ground than any other player this season, accumulating 81.37 kilometres travelled, which ranks in the 99th percentile and is nearly double the league average. His quick feet helped him cover 6.51 kilometres on October 6 in the Leafs' 5-4 overtime victory over the Nashville Predators, a performance that ranks in the 98th percentile.
Matthews struggled with injuries last season, including a lingering back problem and other issues that cost him 37 games and affected him for much of the year. However, this season he looks like himself again, and possibly better than ever.
He hopes to lead Toronto back to the playoffs and could give the Maple Leafs their best chance yet at a deep run, provided they can solve their issues elsewhere on the roster, like the back end.
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