Auston Matthews already among Leafs' all-time greats
With his 50th goal of the season Thursday night, one of the few true superstars in franchise history made a compelling case he belongs with the greatest ever
It should come as a surprise to no one that Auston Matthews doesn’t give a lot of thought at this point in his career to his legacy. And why would he? It’s not even close to being completed yet. But when he scored his 50th goal of the season Thursday night, it’s fair to say he put himself firmly among the greatest players in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With the exception of the 1930s, the Maple Leafs have never really been a superstar-driven franchise. Their successes have almost always been a triumph of the collective. Well, they are superstar-driven now, because Matthews is a bona fide superstar in the NHL. He might be the first one the Leafs have ever had, actually. Frank Mahovlich was close, Mats Sundin and Darryl Sittler were not. The greatest Leaf of all-time, regardless of those who believe it is Dave Keon, was Charlie Conacher, who led the NHL in goals a remarkable five times, so he’d probably be the closest the Leafs have ever had to a superstar until Matthews. Babe Dye did it three times. Matthews could win his second Rocket Richard Trophy this season if he can hold off Leon Draisaitl.
It should also be noted that Matthews is putting together arguably the best season a Maple Leaf player has ever produced, Doug Gilmour’s 127-point performance in 1992-93 included. The empty-net goal Thursday night against Winnipeg that gave him the milestone number was also his 43rd in his past 45 games, giving him a decent shot at an unofficial 50 in 50. He’ll almost certainly eclipse the franchise record of 54 goals in a season and stands a very good chance of breaking the 100-point barrier for the first time in his career. Entering a four-game road trip, he’s on pace to score 62 goals this season, which would be the second-highest total of the salary cap era, behind only the 65 Alex Ovechkin scored in 2007-08.
The fact that Matthews scored his 50th into an empty net even says something about him. His defensive game has become elite, so much so that he’ll almost certainly get some consideration for the Selke Trophy this season. And he probably would have had a decent shot at the Lady Byng had he not crosschecked Rasmus Dahlin in the neck in the Heritage Classic and been suspended two games. It’s the completeness of his game that has probably been most impressive this season. “I don’t think I’ve seen a guy dominate at both ends of the rink that like I’ve seen (with Matthews) in my first week-and-a-half here,” said Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano.
For my money, there is not a better hockey historian in the world than Bob Duff. He believes Conacher is the greatest Leaf ever and that Matthews is certainly making his way into top echelon of all-time Leafs. Conacher was a true superstar on a team that was loaded with top-end talent. But for all the talent those Leaf teams had in the 1930s with Conacher’s Kid Line linemates Joe Primeau and Busher Jackson, along with the likes of King Clancy and Ace Bailey, they managed to win only one Stanley Cup. “I remember talking to Red Horner when he was in his 90s and he was still furious about it,” Duff said. “ ‘Those selfish pricks wouldn’t bear down in the playoffs and play the game the right way and that’s why we always got beaten.’ ”
Sound familiar? To be sure, playoff success is what is truly separating Matthews from being perhaps the greatest player the franchise has ever produced. The 1960s, when the Leafs won three straight Stanley Cups and four in total, has padded an awful lot of player resumes. Even got some players into the Hockey Hall of Fame on questionable credentials. That was definitely a time when the Leafs did not have a superstar, instead relying on a large group of very good players. Like Matthews, Dave Keon won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year and, like Matthews, Keon was an elite two-way player. But what separates the two is Keon’s four Stanley Cups, the last of which was driven by a Conn Smythe Trophy performance. But, as great as he was, Keon was never a superstar.
Their best stretch in franchise history was actually the 1940s when they won five Cups and, including three in a row. With the one they won in 1951, the Leafs took five Cups in seven years, the same way the dynasty Edmonton Oilers did in the 1980s. And while there were some terrific players on those teams such as Ted Kennedy and Syl Apps, it was also a case of a team being greater than the sum of its parts. They did have a big scorer in Max Bentley, who was traded to the Leafs early in the 1947-48 season and played for them for six seasons, winning three Stanley Cups.
It’s a little difficult to fathom that this is already Matthews’ sixth season in Toronto. Nobody knows what the future holds, but there’s a possibility he could only be around for another two seasons with the Leafs before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Trends tell us that we are likely seeing the best of Matthews right here and right now. The next two years will almost certainly provide continued greatness and then he may be gone. But regardless of what he does or doesn’t accomplish, Matthews has already put himself firmly in the pantheon of franchise greats. “I think he was there long before tonight,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Matthews. “And it won’t be the last time we have a conversation about him doing something special.”