NHL awards driven by narrative and Auston Matthews has the best story

Auston Matthews is on course to not only win the Rocket Richard but break the Maple Leafs franchise record for goals in a season, making him the firm favourite to hold the Hart Trophy at the end of this NHL season.

Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: How about we talk about awards season? Because we're already how many months away from the end of it anyway. Who cares if it's too soon to go into whether or not Auston Matthews should be the clear frontrunner for the Hart Trophy? Justin made very great points about him being the Hart Trophy favorite on the latest edition of "Yahoo Sports Hockey Podcast."

There are New York Rangers fans who will probably walk up and say, hey, what about our guy Igor Shesterkin? And then maybe people in Florida-- whoa, I see we are ready-- we're already getting feisty on that. So let's just-- let's just jump right into it here, OK?

So Omar, if you had a vote, right now-- right now-- and I understand there's bias--

OMAR: Yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Who are you picking for the Hart Trophy?

OMAR: Yeah, and-- and I'm not going to, like-- I'm not going to say it-- it's a clear-cut frontrunner or whatever. But I really feel like Matthews has-- what Matthews is doing on the Leafs, right now, is-- is ridiculous. Like, it is-- every, game he is just creating something. And I think the-- the thing that stands out the most about it is he's doing the good old hockey cliche thing, you know, going from defense to offense. You know, if you commit defensively, you get offensive chances.

If you watch Matthews play, it's literally-- like, there are multiple examples of that. Like, he's-- like, he's cutting players off around the boards. He's stripping players when they're trying to transition to the offensive zone and creating goals from that. So it's just like-- besides, like, the raw production, like, you know, currently leading-- leading the league in goals, I want to say he's leading the league in five-on-five goals right now, still. Like, he's just an overall player.

And however, when it comes to the formal definition of the trophy, like if we awarded it based off the definition, it's McDavid because most valuable player to your team-- I'm sorry, show me Edmonton without McDavid. Screwed, right? But this season--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I mean, they're kind of screwed now. In they have-- and they have McDavid and Draisaitl.

SAM CHANG: I was going to say, does it make a difference?

JULIAN MCKENZIE: So--

OMAR: I mean-- I mean--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: You could almost make an argument that Matthews is a little bit more valuable to his team right now than McDavid and Draisaitl.

OMAR: Yeah--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: You could almost make the argument that those two, even though, at one point, it was a two-man race between them at the beginning of the year, maybe they cancel each other out. Where are the Leafs right now without Auston Matthews?

OMAR: I don't know. And--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Out of the playoffs, probably.

OMAR: It's an interesting thing. And it's a very interesting thing. And especially when you see-- you know, and again, this isn't to dump on Tavares. But you know, Tavares has been, like, getting assists and stuff, and doing the little things. But like as far as the raw production, it seems like Matthews is doing something every single game. And I don't know how you not look what he's doing right now and not say, at the very least, he is well deserving of a Hart nomination.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK, Sam, what about you?

SAM CHANG: Yeah, I think-- I think Matthews would be my pick as well. Although, if we're again going off the actual definition of the award as the player who's most valuable to their team, I think Juuse Saros should be in the conversation. Like, I think, the Nashville Predators would be absolute trash without him. So to me, that's the player who should be in the running and, frankly, isn't talked about enough.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I like that. Because remember, the Predators, at one point, were supposed to be, like, tanking, or at least they should be, like, offloading assets. And now they've turn themselves into a playoff team. I thought they were going to do that too. And for all the talk about Igor Shesterkin being a Vezina and possibly a Hart Trophy candidate, Juuse Saros, I think, is giving him a run for his money with how great he's been.

Also, a short king doing well in the net. We have to shout that out. Cuthbert-- what do you say about all this?

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: It could be-- it won't be, but it could be two goaltenders and Auston Matthews as nominees. This is a narrative-based award. So who tells the best story? Who has the most to pull from when putting together their story? It is clearly Auston Matthews. It might have been Alexander Ovechkin before, 36-year-old ousting these young guns, scoring more goals than everybody else. There's other things that you might want to consider now. But he's not scoring goals anymore. He's not that guy. He was that guy for two months. And now that belongs to Auston Matthews.

He's probably going to win the Rocket Richard. He's probably going to drive the most meaningful success, in that the Leafs are probably going to finish with a top-five record in the league, at least I think. He's also going to chase down records. 54 goals, Rick Vaive-- 100 years of Maple Leafs hockey, he might score the most goals in franchise history. And of course--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Rick Vaive.

OMAR: Yes.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Vaive.

OMAR: Yes.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: It still stands 40 years later. And the Maple Leafs are going to set a record for points in a season. So if you're attaching excellent performance to team results, it's Auston Matthews. There's really no other choice.

OMAR: Aw, can we just, like-- can we just, like, clip just what Justin said and just, like, repeat it? Ugh, that was so, so--

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Been working on it a little bit.

OMAR: That touched-- that touched my soul.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Appreciate that.

OMAR: No, that touched my soul, honestly. Thank you. Thank you for that.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I imagine you need-- you need as much positivity as you can get, and things to calm down after the 10-7 debacle over the weekend. Good lord.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: [LAUGHS]

JULIAN MCKENZIE: [LAUGHS] Good lord.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Even a win can be grating.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Jeez, man.

OMAR: They don't make it easy. And as a Leafs fan, no lead is safe. People say, calm down, it's 7-1. I was not calm.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: It was 7-1? I thought it was 7-2.

OMAR: No, it was 7-2. It was 7-2. It was 7-2.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: If it was 7-1, Jesus Christ. [LAUGHS]

OMAR: Man, like--

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: What's the difference?

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I don't know. [LAUGHS]

OMAR: Like, that would have been a game, man. You, like-- we talk about, like, having, like-- having, like, a live recording and be watching a game. Like, that-- that would have been something, man. Let's just move on.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK, all right, all right. How about-- how about I make you slightly happier with throwing this-- this consideration for the Calder Trophy out here. Michael Bunting. You know, we-- oh, wow. He was already ready with the jersey.

OMAR: I was ready. I was ready.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He was ready.

OMAR: 100%, 100%, 100%.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: All right, you know what, dude, just-- just take the floor on this one. All right, just-- just go ahead.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Make your case.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Go ahead, go ahead.

OMAR: OK, here's the thing, OK? And it's clear, I love me some Michael Bunting. I think it's a great contract. I think--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Gee, we didn't notice.

OMAR: [LAUGHS] He's a perfect fit on the top line, I think, which is, I think, a very underrated aspect of this season. I think, heading into this year, everyone was talking about, like, yo, who was going to replace Zach Hyman on the top line. And yes, initially, it wasn't Bunting, right? It was Nick Ritchie. You know, Bunting was actually on the second line. Bunting played on the fourth line for a bit.

So, like, you know, he paid his dues and actually worked his way up to that top line. And again, I think, right now, what we're seeing is just pure synergy amongst the three. And, right, you know, he's one goal away from 20, which is sick. I think he-- I'm pretty sure he is tied Zach Hyman's full-on career total, 41 points.

Now, do I think he's going to win the Calder? I think it'd be cool if he got nominated. But, like, Moritz Seider, in Detroit, is playing like 20 minutes a night as a rookie.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh yeah.

OMAR: Like, that-- like, I joke about it on Twitter and say, like, you know, give-- give Bunting the Calder. It would be cool if he got nominated. But, like, man, like, when you're-- like, players don't play that much ice time until they're, like, in their-- their third or fourth year. Like, we look at-- like Travis Dermott, on the Leafs, like, is still, like, an "on again, off again," like, option as, like, a third-pairing defenseman. And he was drafted in 2015. Like, Seider's playing top-pair minutes as a rookie. That's insane. So, like, yeah, it would be sick to see Bunting win it. But, like, it has to be Seider.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK, at least there's some sensibility here. But can we all-- can the rest of us, can we all just imagine, if somehow the voters decide to show whatever Toronto bias they have and give it to Michael Bunting, what Omar would be like?

OMAR: Oh, I'd be screaming down the-- down the street.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: It'd be amazing.

OMAR: Oh, it'd be wicked.

SAM CHANG: Livestream.

OMAR: That'd be sick. Two Calders in six years, Matthews in 2016, Michael Bunting in 2022. So sick.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Could you imagine if they gave-- the gave people on Hockey Twitter a chance to vote for these awards?

OMAR: Oh my god. [LAUGHS]

JULIAN MCKENZIE: [LAUGHS]

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: I mean, I-- I was gonna-- I was gonna say, being, like, attached to Matthews hurts you, right? It hurts Bunting that he's attached to Matthews. I think it hurts Marner, to a certain extent, that he's attached to Matthews. Because he's probably a top-10 Hart guy, right now, if you look, based on his performance. He's been the best player in the last two months.

But, like the All-Star game, Auston Matthews is going to get all the attention. And he's probably going to take some of the shine away from the other two.

I will say, if Michael Bunting was truly a rookie-- because if we're being honest with ourselves, he's not a rookie-- I mean, he's had-- he's had better seasons than Lucas Raymond, Trevor Zegras. You'd probably have him there if he was truly a rookie. But I don't think people see it that way.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He's like, what, 26?

OMAR: Yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He's, like, our age. He could-- he should be on this show.

OMAR: [LAUGHS]

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: He should be on the show.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He should be on this show. I don't know if we could find-- find a way to get Michael Bunting-- you know, if he's up for the call.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Hey, we could put a request out.

OMAR: Yeah, sure [INAUDIBLE].

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, do that. Have him on "Zone Time."

SAM CHANG: One on one with Omar.

OMAR: Yeah, for sure. I'll lose consciousness.

[LAUGHTER]

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Omar, if Michael Bunting does enough to somehow win the Calder trophy, I will buy you a Michael Bunting bedspread.

OMAR: I thought I already had one. (MOCKING TONE) I thought I already had one, and Michael Bunting boxers, and Michael Bunting pencils. You know what? It's fine. You know what? I was doubted. I was called a madman. It's OK.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: You still are right.

OMAR: That's fine. Yeah, I am, a little bit.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: [LAUGHS]

OMAR: To be honest, that could have-- that could have gone south very quick. Not going to lie.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh yeah, oh, absolutely.

OMAR: Michael Bunting on the fourth line for a little bit. I looked at that jersey, and I was like, maybe I should have waited. But it worked out. It worked out anyway.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Thank god. Because if Michael Bunting somehow ended up on waivers, you are not living that down.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: There should be-- there should be some, like-- there should be some sort of, like, authenticity tag, like a baseball card, that you got it before Michael Bunting was Michael Bunting. Like you deserve credit for that jersey. You have so many 58's. And hey, fans back in the seats tonight. There's going to be so many 58's. You're not the only one. You were the only one, Omar. You deserve that credit.

OMAR: I can say I was there-- I was there when there was still question marks. [LAUGHS]

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I know we talked, also, about Juuse Saros and Igor Shesterkin. I mean, I'll tell you what, even if those two do not end up winning the Hart Trophy, that could be a very, very fun battle for the Vezina Trophy between those two goaltenders. Feel free to add a third nominee in there. But I think those two are definitely the frontrunners for the Vezina.

SAM CHANG: [INAUDIBLE] frontrunners, but I want to throw Jacob Markstrom's name into the ring. He's--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, sorry, sorry. He's got to be there too.

SAM CHANG: Yeah, he's got, what, a .925 save percentage. He's got eight shutouts, which, until last week, was more shutouts than the Habs had wins.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: There it is. There it is. There it is. There it its.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Had to get that in.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That's what I was waiting for.

SAM CHANG: Had to get that in.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I was waiting for that. Yes.

SAM CHANG: He's two--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yes.

SAM CHANG: He's two shutouts away from Kiprusoff's record. And he was robbed. He was robbed of a Vezina nomination, like, two years ago when he was on the Canucks.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He was robbed. Remember Miikka Kiprusoff? That was a goalie.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: I keep waiting for Shesterkin to fall. Like, you can't be .940-- like he had a .939, I believe, like, a couple of weeks ago. I saw it tick up to .940, and then tick up to .941. And I'm like, how is he improving on these numbers? Like, if you look at the analytical profile on him, it is ridiculous. Like, he is running away.

Honestly, the only thing that could even be factored into this discussion if you're going somewhere-- if you're going a different route, is he's not really a workhorse. I think he's only played 60% of the starts for the Rangers. And you know, if you looked at Hart Trophy candidates in the past, Theodore and Price, in the last 20 years, they were both up over like 82%, 83% of starts. So that's the one thing that I guess can dog Shesterkin. But if you go strictly by the numbers, case closed.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I think so. Omar, what about you?

OMAR: I mean, see, I witnessed Markstrom firsthand. So I know how frustrating he can be. But no, [INAUDIBLE]. I think Sam actually-- like, eight shutouts in a season is ridiculous.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: That's crazy.

OMAR: And yeah, like, obviously, I think some people might, like, chalk it up to, like, oh, you know, Darryl Sutter's defensive structure. But like, you still have to make the saves, right? And so I think, if you just look at those raw-- the raw stats and raw numbers, like, yeah, that's just frickin' ridiculous. So you know, there was a time where people thought Jack Campbell was going to get a Vezina nomination. And--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I was waiting for that mention.

OMAR: [LAUGHS] See, that's the beauty of early takes. That's the beauty of early takes. Because I love, love Jack, man, as a whole. But it is-- it's not--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Man, that Detroit game. That Detroit game, boy. Damn, if that's what the goaltending the Leafs are going to get for the playoffs, [INHALES SHARPLY]

OMAR: Yo, why do we have to [INAUDIBLE]--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: You might have to bust out the brooms, my boy. You got to bust out the brooms. They're not looking good.

OMAR: I don't know about-- listen. All it takes is you play hot for a little bit, you know, and then things go well, right? Habs did that. They rode a hot goaltender all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Granted, I probably shouldn't have brought that up because I unlocked, you know, more-- more trauma-filled, bad memories.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Core memory.

OMAR: However, you know, yeah. But yeah, honestly, I think Markstrom probably will get-- will get the third nomination. And again, I think, when it comes down to the three, I think there's arguments for all three.

But yeah, I think, really on the lines of a lot of things that Sam said, especially when it comes to Juuse Saros-- and again, I thought Nashville would be bad. Like I actually thought this would be a year where, like-- like they treated Arvidsson over the summer. And I was like, OK, there it is. That's the first one. And I thought it was just going to trickle out through the rest, maybe find a way to deal with the Ryan Johansen contract, even though Matt Duchene's playing better, find a way to deal with him.

But man, like, he's-- he's keeping them in it. And they're legitimate in a playoff run. So I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up getting it at the end too.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah. Sam, I hope you know that that Canadiens joke he made at the beginning of the segment-- there are Canadiens fans would be like, why would you make that joke? The Canadiens are winning now. Don't you dare make fun of our team.

OMAR: The Canadiens are-- are winning. And if I'm Ken Hughes, I'm pissed. Listen--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: No.

OMAR: If they lose--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: No, no, no, no.

OMAR: Listen to me. If the Habs lose--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Can we stop this for a second?

OMAR: If the Habs lose the draft lottery I will laugh so hard.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Can we stop?

OMAR: Yes.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Let's stop, stop, stop, stop. I was reading about this in "The Athletic." If they go on, like, a .700 run, they could still be, like, a near-last-place team. Also, I don't want to hear shit about how, OK, you know what, man, they're going to be out of last place. It's going to ruin their draft lottery. Talk to Detroit about being the worst team in the National Hockey League. And see where that got them in the draft lottery, like, two years ago.

But also I think the player they drafted two years ago is a candidate for the Calder Trophy. If I'm not mistaken, it was Lucas Raymond two years ago. And I think the year prior might have been Moritz Seider. You can draft fourth overall and still end up with a Calder trophy favorite. You don't have to be number one. But--

SAM CHANG: You can draft fourth overall and end up with a Calder Trophy winner.

OMAR: Yeah, you can get Cale Makar.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yes.

OMAR: Or--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: [INAUDIBLE]

SAM CHANG: Elias Pettersson.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Or Elias Pettersson.

OMAR: Or you can draft first overall and get a franchise player.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: You could. You could also draft third overall and ruin the development of your center, and have a [INAUDIBLE].

SAM CHANG: You know what the best part about all of these players are? Is that none of these teams have gone very far in the playoffs.

OMAR: That's so-- that is so true.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Noo, noo.

OMAR: That is so true. [LAUGHS]

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Or at least none-- at least none of them have won the Stanley Cup. None of them have won a Stanley Cup. That-- that's it.

OMAR: That's so true.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: It's very true.