He might not be on pace to score 60 goals again, but “he’s still making a tremendous impact,” captain John Tavares says.
The numbers haven’t been the same. Auston Matthews, who last year became just the third NHL player to score 60 goals in the last quarter-century, is on pace for about 40 this season. The winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy the last two years as the league’s top goal scorer, he doesn’t even lead his own team right now. But his teammates aren’t concerned.
“He’s still making a tremendous impact offensively for us. He continues to adapt his game for what’s necessary and what’s required, with or without the puck. He continues to grow every year, and whether the goal numbers meet the exact same as last year, I still think he continues to get better and impact the game in so many ways.”
“And it’s a lot. There’s a lot of tremendous things that come with who being Auston is, but also a lot of burden and expectation to deliver it. So for him to remain confident in who he is speaks a lot to who he is, his character, how he was raised, all those things that happened before he became a Maple Leaf. For him to stay that way with all the success he’s had and what he’s trying to help us to accomplish as a team is pretty remarkable.
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