Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Gets Some Love from Fellow NHL Players

Austin Matthews had a great regular season. He could have been better in the playoffs, but I guess there’s always a next postseason – Maple Leafs’ fans hope. Although the postseason ended much too quickly for both the team and their fans, the NHL awards gods have been kind to Matthews; and, it’s not that he hasn’t deserved the honors either. He clearly does.

At least everyone says that’s so – and today everyone got even bigger and in some ways more impressive when the annual National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) player’s poll was released. But before we go there, let’s look at the other award nominations the young Arizona-born center has garnered.

What Hardware Has Matthews Been Nominated for Since the Season Ended?

First, he won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal scorer. No voting there – just count the goals. And Matthews had an incredible 41 goals in just 52 games during the 2020-21 season.

Second, Matthews was named as one of three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, which is awarded each year to the NHL player who’s demonstrated the best combination of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct along with a high standard of on-ice ability.

Third, Matthews was nominated for the Hart Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL’s best player. It’s his first time as a Hart Trophy finalist. He scored eight more goals than Connor McDavid, who finished in second place with 33 goals. Matthews also added 25 assists.

Fourth, Matthews was nominated as finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award along with McDavid and Sidney Crosby. What makes the Ted Lindsay Award so special is that it’s voted on by the winner’s peers – other NHL players. That’s the transition for today’s NHLPA awards released today.

Auston Matthews Is Gaining Recognition by Other NHL Players

I encourage hockey fans of all teams to take a look at this poll by clicking the link above. What makes this poll so interesting is that the NHL players vote for their colleagues. That offers an on-ice sense of who the other players respect. And, I’m certain that kind of recognition means more to a player than winning an award voted on by sportswriters.

The results of this season’s NHLPA poll show that the Maple Leafs’ center was shown some love by his colleagues in two areas. First, he was voted the NHL’s top goal scorer. When NHL players were asked: “Who is the best goal-scorer?” about 33 percent of the players chose Alex Ovechkin, and that makes perfect sense. However, the upstart Matthews came in first in this category with almost half the votes of his colleagues (46.27 percent).

BTW David Pasternak from the Boston Bruins came in third place and the great Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers came in fourth.

To the question “Who has the best shot?,” Ovechkin received about half the votes (48.95 percent) and here Matthews came in second (28.75 percent). Surprisingly, Matthews received the fourth-most votes in the category “Who is the best stick-handler?” Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks won this category with 49.48 percent.

Matthews got the most votes in the category “Which player is the most fashionable?” Here he drew 21.16 percent of the votes. Mitch Marner was the only other player from the Maple Leafs who made the top five in any category, when he came in fifth to the question “Who is the best passer?”

Related: The Lightning Always Have a Salary Cap Advantage over the Maple Leafs

A Great Season for Matthews

All in all, it was a good season for Auston Matthews. That said, I’m certain he’s anxious to define his season more from playoff success than personal accolades. But awards are also nice.