Don't look now, but Auston Matthews' era-adjusted scoring stats are indicative of a legend and all-time hockey icon in the making
I just want to say, as a precursor to this piece, that Auston Matthews is pretty good at hockey. Shocker, I know.. but with the names this kid is being compared to early into his NHL career, at this point it would likely be more surprising if he DOESN'T go down in history as the greatest Leaf of all time than if he does.
Looking at the first 6 seasons in Auston Matthews' career, he has racked up 457 points in his first 407 NHL games. Of those 457 points, 259 are goals and of those 457 goals, 196 of them have been scored at even strength. His career shooting percentage is 16.4% and, perhaps the most surprising thing about this offensive virtuoso is the fact that he doesn't sacrifice any defense in pursuit of his offensive opportunities. He has a positive takeaway to giveaway ratio, his CF% and FF% are both near 60% and he is continuously improving in the faceoff dot, having won at least 55% of his draws in the past two seasons running. We have also seen his physicality increase every season over the last 5 seasons.
Matthews is not only a complete player, but the rate at which he scores is not only elite for this generation, but for ANY generation. Here are a couple of era-adjusted stats that show that not only are his all situations goals per game among the best we've ever seen, but his even strength goals per game through his first six seasons ARE the best we've ever seen.
It's a truly special time to be a Leafs fan, even if we have yet to experience some playoff success in the Matthews era. It's coming. The incremental improvements that the Leafs have made season over season are leading to something great and Auston Matthews and his individual growth are at the center of it all.
Listen, a lot was made of the loss to Tampa in round one this past season, but anyone with a pulse could tell you that the officiating in that series heavily favoured the Lightning. Even with that deficit, the Leafs STILL almost ousted the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champs in round one. It's fine to criticize the Leafs for years 1-5 of first round exits, but if you're looking for something to hold over their heads, it certainly shouldn't be the Tampa series. They played their hearts out and deserved to win that series. They outshot, outchanced, outscored and outplayed the Bolts over a 7-game series and lost a razor-close decision.
Their time is coming and this just feels like a team who can turn one single series win into a lengthy and dangerous run. Matthews and the run he's been on through his first six seasons will be a huge contributor in the Leafs' postseason success. The names that Auston finds himself among on this list have all willed their respective teams to playoff success and Championships. So too will Matthews.
