Auston Matthews is scoring at a pace the NHL hasn't seen mid-season in many years. Adam Proteau says 70 goals is certainly possible, but only if he stays healthy.

Toronto Maple Leafs superstar center Auston Matthews could reach a goal total that hasn't been seen in a season since more than 30 years ago – but only if he keeps up the pace.

Matthews was at his best Thursday night in Calgary, unloading for a hat trick in the Buds’ 4-3 win over the Flames. The goals pushed Matthews’ season total to 37 goals in 42 games – a pace that would give him a career-high 71 goals in 81 games. That would be the highest goal total since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny each posted 76 goals in 1992-93, and it would set a new Leafs mark for goals in a single season – a record currently held by Matthews himself, who had 60 goals for Toronto in 2021-22.

The question is, can Matthews really ratchet up his offensive game to a new level? And our answer to that question is, so long as he’s healthy, he absolutely can.

If there is anything that could derail Matthews’ sensational season, it’s his health. We’re not suggesting he’s injury-prone, but as the focal point of the Leafs’ offense, he takes incredible amounts of punishment in and around his opponents’ net. This is why the 27-year-old has only played a full 82-game season just once – his rookie year of 2016-17 – in seven seasons leading up to this one. He takes cross-checks, slashes and all sorts of aggression each and every night he’s on the ice, and that can spell trouble for him when it comes to appearing in every game.

That said, Matthews is now in his prime, and it shows in his outstanding pace this season. He now has as many goals this season as he had in 68 games in 2018-19. He's also only three goals away from tying his 40 from last year. And in his last four seasons, he's finished with a higher goals-per-game average than his pace from his first 42 games played. That’s astonishing, but we’re coming to expect it from him. 

He may not be the best all-around player in the sport – that title belongs to Edmonton’s Connor McDavid – but Matthews is the most dangerous scorer on the planet right now, and he’s still growing his all-around game to new heights.

When Matthews’ contract extension kicks in next season, he’s expected to be the NHL’s highest-paid player at $13.25 million per season. But you won’t hear a peep from Leafs management about that payday. In this writer’s opinion, Matthews is the best player in Toronto’s history and could end up as the best American-born player the planet has ever seen. He can impose his will on games – the exact same way he did Thursday against Calgary – and there’s very little opponents can do about it. Matthews needs the puck on his stick only for a millisecond or two, and in no time, he can pick apart goaltending like few scorers in NHL history.

Producing goals at nearly a goal-per-game pace is unheard of in the modern NHL, but that’s where Matthews is at right now. He creates goals in bunches, and he isn’t afraid of the hype and spotlight that comes with playing in the fishbowl Toronto market. The next step in his evolution has to come at playoff time, but anyone who doubts he’s capable of that likely is the same type of pessimist who didn’t believe in Matthews’ skills to begin with.

The cool-mannered Matthews doesn’t live or die by the media and fan evaluation that follows him everywhere. He knows what’s expected of him, and he’s one of the very few NHL talents capable of living up to his reputation. The Leafs will only go as far as Matthews and Toronto’s core-four forwards will take them, but the encouraging news for Buds fans is that Matthews is in the midst of his best year yet – and he may not be done growing as a competitor. His play away from the puck has also improved this season, and consequently, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe isn’t afraid to use Matthews in any situation that presents itself.

The Leafs were fortunate to win the NHL draft lottery to select Matthews in 2016. But Toronto management deserves credit for bringing Matthews along the right way. For instance, he wasn’t given the Leafs’ captaincy, but he’s an alternate captain who demands respect from teammates and opponents alike. He’s almost assuredly going to break his current career high in goals, and if he does that in the same season he leads the Leafs into the third round of the playoffs and beyond, Toronto brass will be delighted.

He’s just that good, and he’s only getting better.