Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe predicts a monster season from Auston Matthews

According to head coach Sheldon Keefe the recently-extended Matthews had a great off-season, comes into camp as fresh as ever, and even added a few pounds to his frame:

"He has had a good off-season in terms of health, and it hasn't been disrupted like some others have in the last couple of years."

He looked to have missed a step or two compared to his 2021-22 MVP campaign and the injuries he sustained added fuel to that fire. Matthews underwent wrist surgery in the summer of 2022 and he also suffered a knee injury at the end of January that kept him out of the lineup for three weeks and appeared to hinder him somewhat down the home stretch and into the playoffs. He simply wasn't his normal dominant self.

It's tough to replicate or to improve on a 60-goal and 106-point season, but it was evident that something was ailing him throughout the 2022-23 season. He still managed to score 40 goals and fire 327 shots on goal, but he converted on a career low 12.2% of his chances.

A healthy Matthews mixed in with a brand-new teammate and line-mate in Tyler Bertuzzi should bring out his best self. 40 goals is all but guaranteed, 50 goals should be a near-lock, and as Elliotte Friedman alluded to on a live broadcast on Monday, there's a good chance we see him best his career-high with 61 goals.

After signing an extension in August, all eyes will be firmly planted on the goal-scorer, but he has never shied away from the Toronto limelight. Healthy or not, he has never scored less than 34 goals in a season and that came in just 62 games. His 0.62 goals per game average through his first 7 seasons is amongst the best in NHL history as well.

The rest of the NHL should be on high alert - don't leave #34 open, or he'll make you pay for it.