Although Auston Matthews is heading for a 70-goal season, good for the season of his life, he may not win the Hart Trophy at the end of this singular journey. The Leafs’ No. 34 has scored 57 goals so far in 67 games, bringing him closer to an ultimate season.
Worst of all, Matthews’ game isn’t just about scoring goals. His overall game is now very complete, he executes the little things, he’s excellent defensively, he controls the game with his remarkable vision and he makes perfect use of his physical strength to win fights for the puck.
That said, despite all these aspects and the fact that he could break the 70-goal barrier for the first time since Alexander Mogilny (76) and Teemu Selanne (76) in the 1992-93 campaign, Matthews is not the favourite for the Hart Trophy.
According to several media reports, Nathan MacKinnon is the favorite to win the MVP award for the 2023-24 season. Behind him are such heavyweights as Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak and Quinn Hughes. Matthews certainly fits into this line-up, but only one winner will be named from the three finalists.
On the other hand, according to journalist Steve Simmons, even if he reaches 70 goals, Matthews might not get enough votes to sneak into the top three. He’d still be a long way from the Hart, despite having the season of his life and being an undisputed leader, doing all the little things worthy of a conductor.
Voters will most likely believe that Matthews is just a maverick, when in fact, in real life, he’s much more than that… he’s THE cornerstone of his group. Nothing less!
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