Auston Matthews spent much of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2024-25 season dealing with a lingering injury he said affected him greatly.

He appeared noticeably slower at times and never seemed to have the same zip on his shot.

Despite that, the 27-year-old scored 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games, finishing 14th in Selke Trophy voting. Although it was a lower finish than his third-place finish the previous year, Matthews remained one of the best two-way centers in the NHL. 

Now, Matthews appears to be healthy, taking the summer to deal with the ailment.

“My health is good,” he told NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. “I feel a lot better. I think I took really good steps this off-season as far as that goes, and so I’m really happy with that progress and happy with where I’m at.”

The captain sounds ready to lead a new era in Toronto, one that doesn’t include Mitch Marner. Marner’s absence could play a factor in increased recognition for Matthews in the Selke department. Matthews' odds of winning the Selke Trophy are 23.00 (+2200), according to BetMGM.

Without a doubt, Marner played a key role in Matthews' success offensively, and he may never score 69 goals again without Marner on his line, but Matthews was and is the driver of the Leafs. Marner’s effectiveness on the penalty kill took some shine away from Matthews’ defensive game at times, and without him, it may be easier to see how large an impact Matthews has on the defensive side of the puck.

Coincidentally, Marner’s departure could allow coach Craig Berube to further his attentiveness to the defensive side of the puck.

The additions of Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua will make the Leafs a more challenging team to play against in their bottom six, but it will always be Matthews whom Berube trusts the most in defensive situations.

The 2024-25 season witnessed Matthews set a career-high in percentage of shifts started in the defensive zone, at 16.3 percent. That's 4.8 percentage points higher than his next career high, according to moneypuck.com.

Matthews also started a career-low percentage of shifts in the offensive zone, although that must increase if the Leafs want Matthews to regain his offensive production.

The center even set a career high in faceoff win percentage last season, at 56.8 percent. That ranked eighth among NHL players who took at least 1,000 faceoffs, one place above Barkov.

‘Health Is Good’: Auston Matthews Provides Positive Update Before Maple Leafs Training Camp One of the big questions heading into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2025-26 season will be if Auston Matthews can replicate the firepower he has shown in previous seasons. After twice racking up 60-plus goal seasons and scoring 69 in the 2023-24 season, Matthews was limited to just 33 tallies in 2024-25, mostly due to a lingering upper-body injury.

The Leafs improving defensively will only help Matthews’ case in the Selke Trophy race. That team was already considered one of the better defensive teams in the league last season, allowing the eighth-fewest goals. If the Leafs now finish as a top-five team defensively, voters will have to take notice, and it’ll be Matthews who will deservedly receive the bulk of the attention.

Finally, voter fatigue could factor into the decisions.

Heading into the season, Aleksander Barkov is the clear favorite. Barkov's odds of winning his third consecutive Selke Trophy are 1.87 (-115), according to BetMGM.

It’s rare for a player to win the trophy three consecutive times. Only Pavel Datsyuk (2008 to 2010) and Bob Gainey (1978 to 1982) have won the Selke Trophy in at least three straight seasons. 

Barkov also benefits from playing alongside Sam Reinhart, another terrific defensive forward who finished second in Selke Trophy voting last year. Although the award isn’t handed out to the most valuable defensive forward, it’s a factor that some voters could take into account. 

Outside of Barkov and Reinhart, Matthews will be competing with forwards such as Jack Eichel, Anthony Cirelli, Nico Hischier and veteran Anze Kopitar. 

First and foremost, the Maple Leafs need Matthews to find his offensive game again. They need Matthews to be the 50-goal, 100-point scorer he is and compete for the Hart Trophy alongside the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov and Leon Draisaitl. More importantly, they need him to be a Conn Smythe Trophy winner and a Stanley Cup champion on the Leafs.

Matthews is as well-rounded as they come, and he’s never sacrificed defensive attention for additional offensive production, which is why he is poised to have his best defensive season.

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