Some NHL players aren't convinced Auston Matthews has reached his peak in finding the net as goal-scoring rates in the past three years have remained high.

What’s that they say about objects in the rear-view mirror? Supposedly, they are much closer than they actually appear. The exception to that rule, however, is what we witnessed with last season’s NHL Rocket Richard Trophy race, with Auston Matthews coming out on top.

Sam Reinhart finished as the runner-up for the goal-scoring title. But with how much of a gap there was between him and winner Auston Matthews, it’s not like Reinhart was much of a threat. 

In the end, Reinhart finished in second with 57 goals. Edmonton’s Zach Hyman was third with 54 goals. Matthews, meanwhile, cruised to the finish line in first place with 69 goals.

“Someone asked me was it weird being in the race,” Reinhart said during last week’s NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas. “I’m like, ‘Well, I wasn’t really in the race. I mean, we got a little race for second, which was pretty cool.’ ” 

Four years ago, Reinhart’s and Hyman’s totals would have been good enough to win the goal-scoring title. But a lot has changed in that time. The NHL averaged 6.29 goals per game in 2021-22, 6.36 in 2022-23 and 6.23 last season, which are the highest rates since the 1990s.

In 2021-22, Matthews led the NHL with 60 goals. A year later, Connor McDavid raised the bar by winning the Rocket with 64 goals, while David Pastrnak finished in second with 61 goals. Matthews then took it to a level we hadn’t seen in nearly 30 years.

"I think when you have a talent like that, who can score from any position at any given time, it’s not too often you see numbers like he put up," said Reinhart. "To be a part of it, to be in that environment, was pretty cool."

With 69 goals in 81 games, Matthews fell just one short of becoming the first player since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96 to score 70 in a season. Despite missing out on that exclusive club, what Matthews accomplished was nothing short of remarkable. 

The craziest part is that those around the league are convinced that the best is yet to come for a player who celebrates his 27th birthday on Sept. 17.

“He’s a special player,” said Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo, who has known Matthews since the two were teammates at the 2015 and 2016 world juniors. “The way that he can release that puck in tight areas and through your feet and through your body, it’s pretty incredible. So I think just with more confidence and as he goes along, he’s going to continue to do the same thing.”

Not surprisingly, several NHLers lined up to skate with Matthews this summer. All of them said that the newly appointed captain looks even more dialed in than in previous years.

“Just his work ethic in the summer, I’ve never seen him take a rep off,” said Clayton Keller, who skated with Matthews in Arizona. “Like everything’s game speed, and he wants to score. And you see why. It pays off, for sure.”

Added McDavid: “I have a lot of respect for how he scores goals and how he continues to get better and better. He thinks about the game a lot. He loves the game, just like I do. When you get guys like that together, there’s inevitably going to be conversations about stuff.”

McDavid did not want to guess as to how many goals Matthews would score this year. But it's safe to say that the betting line has been set at 69.

“I think 70 to 75, for sure,” said Keller. When asked if there was a ceiling to what Matthews could score, Keller said, “I don’t think so.” 

Others agreed.

“He was obviously one away from 70, so 70 is clearly possible,” said Nashville's Filip Forsberg. “I think 80 is impossible until I’m proven wrong. But somebody would have probably said the same about 69 before last year.”

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