Subj : Auston Matthews: Ready to Lead His Maple Leafs into the Postseason
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers
Date : Sat Jul 11 2020 04:40 am
I';m on record as saying that, before he finishes his tenure with the Toronto
Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews will be recognized as the greatest center in
franchise history. Granted, the unexpected might happen to erase that
possibility.
Related: Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Andersen, Matthews, Barrie & More
For example, we have no idea yet about the long-term physical or mental effects
of having contracted the COVID-19 virus. Could that impact his future play?
Or, might Matthews suffer a debilitating injury that snuffs out his career much
too early? Or, might he do a Bjorn Borg (tennis) or a Michael Jordan
(basketball) and retire because he's lost his love of hockey? Although Jordan
eventually came back, his actions show the stress of being a star might have on
a person.
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
However, if none of those things happen, Matthews seems on the way to an
impactful career. In 2016-17, still in his teens, he scored 40 goals and won
the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Furthermore, every season, Matthews
grows stronger,�faster, more driven, more confident, and more experienced in
understanding the game. Watching him offensively, there's nothing he believes
he can't do. He's become a virtual highlight reel.
Matthews Added Defense to His Game
Matthews was clearly the best Maple Leafs player this season. Although it's
clichéd to say, he "raised his game to another level." He became a two-way
player, which means he's growing into a great defensive player as well as being
elite on offense.
Related: 7 Biggest NHL Players in Today's Game
He's the driver and the face of the team. Furthermore, and a fact that bodes
well for the Maple Leafs as they face a short play-in series against the
Columbus Blue Jackets, Matthews starts every season on a hot streak. He's been
doing that throughout his career. This season, he scored five goals in the
team's first three games and only went scoreless in more than three games once
all season.
Matthews not only led the team offensively, but he also became more physically
engaged in the defensive zone. He's not a player to run anyone over the boards
- which is a good sign for his longevity - but he doesn't need to. He's
learning to utilize his size and strength effectively by taking good defensive
angles on opponents carrying the puck and by his skating ability, which seems
underrated.
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
As an aside, Matthews was a young student in Arizona of little-known Boris
Dorozhenko, who helped him develop his skating skills.�Dorozhenko, a former
professional hockey player from the Soviet Union who emigrated to Mexico, first
met Matthews at an Arizona hockey camp in 2005 when Matthews was only seven.
Matthews was taught Dorozhenko's system. Who knew this a kid learning hockey
fundamentals would be an NHL star?
As a result, adding Matthews' skating ability to his growing hockey IQ and
experience has made him a more effective two-way player. Indeed, he has grown
into one of the most dominant two-way players in the NHL.
Matthews Career Season in 2019-20
Offensively, in 2019-20 Matthews had a record-breaking career season both
personally and franchise-wise. When the season came to a sudden stop, he was on
his way to a franchise-record season. Had he played the full 82-game schedule,
there's a chance he would have broken Rick Vaive's 1981-82 record of 54 goals
and also come close to a 100-point season. As it stands, with the season now
over, Matthews'; 47 goals came up one short of Rocket Richard Trophy
co-winners, David Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin.
Toronto Maple Leafs'; Auston Matthews celebrates with teammate John Tavares
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)
He';s also grown in his ability to generate offensive opportunities for himself
and his teammates. He's shown an ability to limit scoring chances from the
opposition. Matthews' philosophy seems simple: when you're on the ice, always
have the puck in the other team's end. As a result, his line generated
quality-scoring chances at an elite rate and Matthews converted for a
league-leading 30 goals at 5-on-5.
He might not be recognized as one of the top defensive players in the NHL
because he doesn't kill penalties; however, opposing teams seem unable to
generate shot attempts in front with Matthews on the ice.
Related: Auston Matthews' Impact on the Hockey World…So Far
Matthews'; growing defensive prowess include tying the Vegas Golden Knights';
Mark Stone for second in takeaways with 78. Only the Carolina Hurricanes'
Jaccob Slavin had more with 81. He was also among the top 20 NHL players in
faceoff percentage with 55%. He led the team among forwards and was 12th among
all NHL forwards with 60 blocked shots, which was unexpected.
Although Matthews' offense is growing more impressive every season, it's
encouraging that his defensive acumen is also expanding. His puck skills and
hockey sense have begun to translate to both zones, making him tough to play
against all over the ice. He might be the most talented player on the team, and
that's saying something with Mitch Marner on the same roster.
Matthews' commitment to tracking the play and stripping pucks from opponents
led to multiple transition opportunities. When he gains the puck with the other
team going a different way, watch out.
Columbus Blue Jackets Nick Foligno protects the puck from Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)
Matthews has always been among the NHL's elite scorers. His wrist shot is his
weapon of choice, but this season, he's grown more adept at shooting an
amazingly quick and accurate one-timer. He can blister the puck at the net. His
ability to stick-handle his way up the entire ice or beat goalies from a
distance is the stuff of late-night sports highlights.
What to Expect Against the Blue Jackets
Matthews regularly faces the opposition's top defense, and he's done well all
season against such competition. The Blue Jackets are tough to play
defensively. But the Maple Leafs have an elite offensive unit, and Matthews is
fast out of the gate after long breaks in play. Unless he's suffering from
COVID-19-related symptoms we don't know about, he should be unstoppable when
the play-in round begins.
Related: Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Marlies' Prospects, Rielly & Dubas
Matthews also lifts his game during the playoffs. Last season he was the team's
best player in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins. He scored
six points (including five goals) in that seven-game series. He's also coming
off a career season, after a long layoff. He'll be ready to play and hungry to
score.
In addition, as teammate Morgan Rielly noted, the Maple Leafs are playing with
a chip on their shoulder and want to "prove people wrong." You get the feeling
that the whole team is tired of being postseason patsies.
Whatever happens during the postseason and into the future, watching Matthews
will be pure entertainment. He's a combination of skill and swagger with
absolute confidence. I think he's ready for the spotlight. The only question
left for me is whether this might be the season the Maple Leafs as a team comes
through.
The post Auston Matthews: Ready to Lead His Maple Leafs into the Postseason
appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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