Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Wins 2022 Hart Memorial Trophy
Well, at least the Toronto Maple Leafs won something in June.
On Tuesday, forward Auston Matthews was named the 2022 Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the league’s most valuable player. He became the first Maple Leaf to win the award since Ted Kennedy in 1954-55.
Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin finished as the two runner-ups for the award. McDavid was crowned the MVP last season for the second time in his career.
Matthews received a resounding amount of support for his incredible efforts from this past season, where he led the league in goals, with 60. The 24-year-old earned 1,630 points in total voting, largely because of his 119 first-place votes.
Additionally, Matthews also won the 2022 Ted Lindsay Award, which is awarded to the “most outstanding player” as voted by his fellow skaters. He also took home this season’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for a second straight campaign.
It was certainly a night – and a season – to remember for No. 34 in blue and white.
The 6’3” forward’s trophy case is now loaded with a plethora of well-deserved honours – including a Hart trophy, two Richards, one Ted Lindsay and the 2016-17 Calder Memorial Trophy. He’s also a five-time All-Star.
Despite losing in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, again, Matthews helped carry the Maple Leafs to a sixth-straight postseason berth. The left-handed centre scored 60 goals and 106 points in 73 games.
Matthews carried his dominating performance into the playoffs, posting four goals and nine points across seven contests. He led all Toronto skaters in both goals and points, respectively.
For his career, the first overall selection from 2016 has registered 259 goals and 457 points through 407 games. 336 of those markers have occurred at even-strength, where he’s excelled the most since arriving to the NHL.
The native of San Ramon, California, who later moved to Arizona, has quickly solidified himself as one of the greatest players in Maple Leafs’ history. And that’s no small accomplishment for a franchise that’s existed since 1927.
Considering Matthews is just 24 years old, it seems he’s just getting started. Take that in for a second. Though, at this rate, his asking price for a new contract is likely to skyrocket in a few seasons.
Toronto’s superstar forward is in the midst of a five-year, $58.19-million contract that was signed in 2019. His current deal runs through 2023-24, carrying an $11.64 million cap hit per season. That buys the club two more seasons at that figure.
Once Matthews’ contract expires, however, he’ll be poised to enter McDavid-esque territory, which includes a league-high $12.5 million cap hit. It’s also possible he earns a larger amount altogether.
Depending on how long Matthews’ next contract spans, he could potentially become the next highest-paid player in the league. Or at least, until McDavid agrees to another lucrative deal.
Either way, the Maple Leafs feature a generational talent in Matthews, who they hope can help lead them to a deep playoff next season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Azadeh Kashani. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.