The Toronto Maple Leafs are making a captaincy change. The Hockey News breaks down why Auston Matthews will become the 26th captain in franchise history. Do you know the NHL tracks the amount of times a player hits the post and crossbar? If you remember last season, you can recall Auston Matthews scoring plenty of goals — 69, to be exact. But you can likely recollect that the forward hit the post and crossbar many times too. The 26-year-old forward led all NHL skaters in combined posts and crossbars hit during the 2023-24 season. He hit the post 15 times and the crossbar five times, which is the most a player has hit ever since the NHL began tracking the metric. Matthews had the most posts hit this year but was behind Steven Stamkos and Mikko Rantanen for most crossbars hit. Matthews scored a league-leading 69 goals in 81 games last season and took home his third Rocket Richard Trophy. The Florida Panthers' Sam Reinhart had the second-most goals in the NHL with 57 in 82 games last season. Toronto's top goalscorer has hit the most posts among all NHL players since the 2019-20 season with 47. He's also pinged the puck off the crossbar 13 times in that span. Matthews is entering the first year of a four-year, $53 million contract he signed last August. The deal carries an annual average value of $13.25 million, the most expensive AAV in NHL history. He was also named the 26th captain in Maple Leafs history on Aug. 14, taking the reigns from John Tavares, who's been Toronto's captain since Oct. 2019. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related 'They Hate Me, But They Always End With I Want You To Be A Leaf One Day': Panthers Forward Sam Bennett Says Maple Leafs Fans Don't Let Him Forget About 2023 Series Against Toronto [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/they-hate-me-but-they-always-end-with-i-want-you-to-be-a-leaf-one-day-panthers-forward-sam-bennett-says-maple-leafs-fans-dont-let-him-forget-about-2023-series-against-toronto] 'He Didn't Actually Sign': Maple Leafs and Jani Hakanpaa Reportedly at Odds Over Opinion of Knee Injury Sustained With Stars Last Season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/he-didnt-actually-sign-maple-leafs-and-jani-hakanpaa-reportedly-at-odds-over-opinion-of-knee-injury-sustained-with-stars-last-season] 'I Need My Own Hockey Jersey, Like My Friend George Springer': Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Trades Signed Baseball for Maple Leafs Hat in Boston [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/i-need-my-own-hockey-jersey-like-my-friend-george-springer-vladimir-guerrero-jr-trades-signed-baseball-for-maple-leafs-hat-in-boston] News from THN.com NHL's Top Issues Facing the L.A. Kings: Byfield's Growth, Kuemper's Impact and GM's Risk [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhls-top-issues-facing-the-l-a-kings-byfields-growth-kuempers-impact-and-gms-risk] Screen Shots: Jets' Vintage Jersey Love, NHL Labor Uncertainty, And Bruins An Underdog Vs. Leafs? [https://thehockeynews.com/news/screen-shots-jets-vintage-jersey-love-nhl-labor-uncertainty-and-bruins-an-underdog-vs-leafs] NHL Expansion: The Very Good Case for Why Toronto Should Get a Second Team [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-expansion-the-very-good-case-for-why-toronto-should-get-a-second-team]
