NHL goal-scoring race is Auston Matthews' to lose

Auston Matthews will set a single-season franchise record in goals the next time he finds the net, passing Rick Vaive on the Leafs all-time list. With Leon Draisaitl his only realistic opposition, Matthews looks set for back-to-back 'Rocket' Richard awards.

Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Let's talk about Auston Matthews to start. He, as of this recording, leads the league in goals. It's very possible, by the time you're listening to this, he will have broken a longstanding record from Rick Vaive for most goals in a season by a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It took someone that long. I think someone made the point that I think Rick Vaive scored like his 54th like 40 years to the day--

OMAR: 40 years, yes.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Auston Matthews did the same. That is incredible, but also just like, really? You guys don't have that many people who have done that in your history?

OMAR: No.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That's--

OMAR: No, we don't. No.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That's kind of-- That's kind of weird.

OMAR: Some people are surprised. It's like, oh these fans are acting like they won the Stanley Cup. Yes. Yeah, I have never-- listen man. Listen to me, OK? We have a 50 goal scorer. Like that's-- that's foreign territory for a lot of us, man. Again, we haven't seen that since Andreychuk in freaking '94. Like that's-- it's uncharted waters. So yeah, people are going nuts. It's awesome.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: So it his-- it's his race to lose, right? The Rocket Richard trophy. I know Leon Draisaitl's a couple of goals behind him. Guys like Chris Kreider are climbing towards 50. Alexander Ovechkin, Kyle Connor, some dude named Connor McDavid's at 40. Like, OK. There are some guys there, but like, this is Auston Matthews's is to lose, right? I said he was going to hit 60. He could-- he's six away. He could do it. I say he does it. Omar, what do you think?

OMAR: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's-- Matthews is scoring at a disgusting pace. When you take out all the trends and stuff-- so what, he has like 71 goals in 82 games. He has 47 goals in 47 games. And then I read some foolishness on Twitter this morning, that after 398 games, Mario Lemieux had 191 goals at even strength. You know how much Matthews has in that same time frame?

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Probably like 200.

OMAR: 192.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh.

OMAR: Like it's un-- it's unbelievable. And like, a lot of people are chalking it up to playing with Marner, and by no means am I going to discount that. That's obviously a factor, and the playmaking we've seen from Marner this year has been ridiculous, and the fact that he is now a legitimate scoring threat is that actually made him a better playmaker. But Matthews is just-- he just turned on a switch and just says, hey, I'm going to casually get a hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Like Andrei Vasilevskiy looked like a fricking average league goaltender.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Wow.

OMAR: No-- and like, no disrespect to Vasilevskiy.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He's supposed to be the best in the league. Are you saying that's what he-- we're going to remember that when Tampa and Toronto play each other in the playoffs.

OMAR: No-- and that's fine. And again, by no means am I-- am I saying that Vasilevskiy is a bad goaltender, but I'm just saying Matthews is just-- he's just a man on a mission. And I think it goes beyond the 50 and the 54 and the 60. Heck me, man. Maybe he might even get 65, which would-- that would tie, like, Ovechkin's score [INAUDIBLE].

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Wow, OK.

OMAR: I could see it. I could see it. I wouldn't be surprised. So it's just like, the sky's the limit when it comes to Matthews. And again, it's just incredible to see.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Yeah, I think the--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Sorry, Cuth. Go ahead. Go ahead, sorry. Didn't mean to cut you off.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: I was just going to say quickly, I think the goalposts are moving, right? Like, I think he was like, I got to get 50. I got to win the Rocket Richard. Now the Hart Trophy is out there, then 55, and break five at 55, and now 60 seems like it's more likely than not. I feel like he keeps seeing different carrots being dangled in front of him, and he's going after it. It's pretty obvious with the way that they've played, and the way that he's sort of approached these games that he's pretty aware of what's going on, and he's going to try to get as many goals as possible.

I didn't like what you mentioned on the podcast the other day, Julian. That kind of took away from his game, especially that last game against Winnipeg where it was pretty obvious that all they were trying to do is set up Auston Matthews. But the ease to which those goals came against Tampa, where it wasn't forced and wasn't like they were only thinking about that. It was like they got back to basics, and Matthews did what Matthews does, which is score goals regardless of whether he's pressing or regardless of what team he's playing and regardless of whether Andrei Vasilevskiy is in that.

It was like the perfect snapshot of their season. Marner and Matthews against Tampa with him scoring those three goals and tying the record, and we don't know how high he's going to go, but I feel like it has changed in the last couple of games. Where-- what we think is possible and what Auston Matthews thinks is possible.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah. The one thing I was just going to add. You were talking about dangling different carrots in front of them. I was just going to make a really bad joke and be like, the next carrot is dangling a first round playoff victory.

OMAR: [SARCASTIC LAUGH]

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: There you go. Hopefully that still means something. Hopefully that still means something to Auston.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Sam, do you have a wisecrack you want to make? I know we've basically said as much as we could say about Auston Matthews. Do you have a wisecrack you want to do on Omar, or do you just agree with Omar?

SAM CHANG: No, I actually-- on this one, I actually do just agree with Omar, and I think he hits 60.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yes. Like I'm sorry--

SAM CHANG: There's no way he doesn't.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, like the pace that he's on, the fact that he's scoring as many goals, the fact that guys are going to-- and I made this point in the podcast too. If that is what Leafs players are working towards, if that's something that they're pushing to have happen, especially knowing that they're standing in the playoffs. OK, maybe it might change depending on where the points lie. They're going to make the playoffs. I don't think it necessarily hurts for them to not only ensure that he wins the Rocket Richard trophy, but he scores as many goals as he can before the end of the year.

Like what else is it going to hurt? Like the Leafs are going to be in the playoffs anyway. Whoever they go up against in the first round is going to be tough anyway, you might as well work towards something. Why not? Let him get 60. Let him hit 65. 70. I mean, maybe not 70. That may be a little much. You'd have to score like a lot of goals to do that. Not impossible, though. He's really good. He's absolutely really good.

And at this point, to kind of transition over to something else I have a gripe with, I get it. He's the dude for the Hart Trophy. He is that dude for the Hart Trophy right now. Maybe it was Igor Shesterkin at one point. He's kind of fallen off a little bit. Maybe Roman Josi should be making a case for it. But right now, at this moment, you could say the strongest case for the Hart Trophy is Auston Matthews.