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Maple Leafs Quick Hits: Nylander, Matthews & Marner Set Records

As the elite players from the Toronto Maple Leafs play more seasons, they’re going to set more franchise records. What did they do last night?

by
Old Prof
February 2, 2025

There’s no question that the Toronto Maple Leafs have elite forwards, specifically Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander. They’ve grown together as the team has become successful – at least during the regular season. Now that these key players are growing a little longer in the tooth, age-old franchise records are starting to fall. Recently, there’s plenty to celebrate. These key Maple Leafs players have begun to etch their names into the franchise’s history books.

In this edition of Maple Leafs Quick Hits, I’ll look at three players doing just that – writing their names into the record books.

Quick Hit One: William Nylander Reaches 30-Goal Milestone Again

For the fifth time in his career, William Nylander has hit the 30-goal mark in a single season. He’s started to cement his place among the franchise greats. Nylander now ranks fifth in Maple Leafs history for most 30-goal seasons. That’s behind legends like Mats Sundin (10), Auston Matthews (8), Darryl Sittler (8), and Rick Vaive (7).

In addition, outside the Maple Leafs, Nylander became the fourth Swedish player in NHL history to score 30 or more goals for four straight seasons. He joins Markus Näslund, Mats Sundin, and Henrik Zetterberg in that achievement.

Quick Hit Two: Auston Matthews Hits 300 Assists

Auston Matthews is not new to reaching milestones. Last night, he reached yet another one by putting up his 300th career assist in just 599 games. In doing so, he became the fourth American player in NHL history to score 300 goals and register 300 assists before his 600th game. Matthews has joined an exclusive list of hockey legends like Brett Hull, Pat LaFontaine, and Joe Mullen.

This achievement demonstrates that Matthews isn’t just about goals. He possesses an all-around offensive game. He still has more to go as he continues establishing himself as one of the league’s premier players and as he continues to improve defensively, he’s finding multiple ways to be impactful.

Auston Matthews Maple Leafs scored — Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs

Quick Hit Three: Matthews and Marner 50th Time Assisting Together

Finally, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner reached a significant team milestone. They assisted on the same goal for the 50th time in their careers. The duo becomes just the sixth pairing in Maple Leafs history to reach this number, joining other franchise partners like Morgan Rielly and Marner (81), Sundin and Tomas Kaberle (56), and Darryl Sittler with both Borje Salming (55) and Lanny McDonald (53).

To suggest that Matthews and Marner have chemistry is an understatement. Both continue to be driving forces for the Maple Leafs’ offense. Game after game, they showcase their exceptional playmaking skills.