Auston Matthews Closing In on Historic Maple Leafs Milestone
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews could become the first active scorer to lead an Original Six team in goals, with only 20 needed to break Mats Sundin's record.
A lot of attention is going to be focused on Auston Matthews not only because he will be looked at to help carry the bulk of the offense after losing Mitch Marner, but that he's looking for redemption after an injury-riddled season.
He only scored 33 goals and while for most players in the league it's a fantastic number to achieve, for Matthews; it was his lowest total ever. He had 69 goals two seasons prior, and needs to get back to that level if Toronto wants to win their 2nd straight Atlantic title.
But there is one record that Matthews is chasing that will likely be reached this season, that being the Maple Leafs all-time scoring lead, where he needs only 20 goals to surpass Mats Sundin as the franchise's top goal scorer.
Sundin has the record in 987 career games with the Maple Leafs, meanwhile Matthews has his 401 goals in 629 games, so it's absolutely possible he gets the record before hitting 650 games; but he needs to start the season blazing.
Matthews Could Become the First Active Player to Hold an Original Six Goal Record
The interesting caveat if Matthews were to reach the goal would be having the honor of being the first active player to lead an Original Six's franchise in points or goals.
The current points leaders for the remaining five teams are:
Chicago - Bobby Hull (604)
New York - Rod Gilbert (406)
Boston - Johnny Bucyk (545)
Montreal - Maurice Richard (544)
Detroit - Gordie Howe (786)
Obviously, Matthews is clear ahead of any active player, with only Mika Zibanejad being the closest with 250 goals in New York (still 156 behind Gilbert).
Matthews Chasing More Than Maple Leafs History
There's also the potential that if Matthews were to continue on a 40-50 goal pace for the next decade, he could end up reaching close to Alex Ovechkin's goal record. Matthews currently sits 496 goals away and while Ovi is likely to reach 900+ goals; there's a good chance he can at least compete for the spot.
Matthews, 27, had 78 points in 67 games last year (33 goals, 45 assists) and was given more of a complete role under Craig Berube, and coupled with his lingering injury it kept him inconsistent and away from the team three separate times.
But this season he's going to have one goal in mind, and that's redemption. Not only for the second round heartbreaking loss to the Panthers, but that this is firmly his team and he's going to lead by example.
It's only a matter of time before Matthews is the team's greatest scorer, and you can bet Sundin will be the first person to congratulate him.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 6 | 1340 ANSWERS Auston Matthews Closing In on Historic Maple Leafs Milestone Will Auston Matthews break Mats Sundin's record before the Olympic Break? | ||
| Yes | 884 | 66 % |
| No | 456 | 34 % |
| List of polls | ||
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