'He's Right In The Mix And Should Be Nominated For Both': Maple Leafs Captain John Tavares Believes Auston Matthews Should Get Serious Hart and Selke Trophy Consideration
John Tavares is like many Maple Leafs who have marveled in Auston Matthews' chase for 70 goals. But the Maple Leafs captain has always been in Matthews' 200-foot game.
MONTREAL — With seven games left to play in the regular season, all eyes have been on Auston Matthews to see if the Toronto Maple Leafs star can become the first player in over 30 years to reach the 70-goal mark.
Before the Maple Leafs visited the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday, Toronto captain John Tavares was asked if he felt Matthews should be nominated for the Hart and Selke Trophies, handed out annually to the NHL's most valuable player and best defensive forward, respectively.
"He should be, to me, he's right in the mix and should be nominated for both," Tavares said. "I think the type of season he's having, what he can potentially do here from a goal-scoring standpoint. And to be able to do that and just to be as well-rounded as he is, it's just even more impressive."
Matthews has 63 goals this season but the Maple Leafs have always been impressed with how the star player has grown in all facets of his game. The Arizona native won his first Hart Trophy following his first 60-goal season in 2021-22. That was Matthews' third season playing under current Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe. Matthews was the youngest player on the Leafs back in 2019 and that's when coach had some advice for his top star.
"I think what's changed the most is Auston has really come to value and recognize how important being great in all areas of the game is. That was my message to him after a month or so of getting to know him and coaching him," Keefe recalled. "My message to him was that being truly great to me is about impacting the game in way more ways than just scoring goals. Auston right now is the greatest goal scorer in the league. You know the pace is less than one goal a game. You're going to get 20-some shifts per game. How are you impacting the game in those areas? That's what really being great is and that's what can drive our team to be great. I think he really has bought into that."
Keefe didn't want to weigh in on the Hart or Selke debates pointing to many great players across the NHL but some of the most experienced players can recognize how Matthews' commitment to all facets of the game has translated to his team's overall success.
"He plays in all areas of the game. He carries play, wins so many puck battles. Obviously, his takeaways are exceptional. I don't think he always gets enough credit for just how smart he is," Tavares said. "He's just as well-rounded as the players you're going to find in our game today. So it'd be great to see him get the recognition on both those fronts"
No player has scored 70 goals in a season since Teemu Selanne and Alex Mogilny each scored 76 goals during the 1992-93 season.
Do the Maple Leafs believe Matthews can do it?
"He's trying to get 70 goals, but of course there's the right time to shoot the puck and we're all aware of that," Max Domi said of Matthews. "But what he's done this year is spectacular and he's not done yet. He's hungry as ever and he's trying to help him out."
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