Auston Matthews skipped the club's full morning skate in Buffalo. Given the lack of production from the Toronto Maple Leafs' star, it's clear he isn't 100 percent. Heading into this season, it seemed like the Toronto Maple Leafs forward who would be in the conversation for the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy—awarded annually to the player with the most goals in an NHL season—would be the guy who has claimed it three of the last four seasons. However, with Auston Matthews now in his second stint of recovering from an upper-body injury, it’s William Nylander who has emerged as the centerpiece of that conversation. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BIeN9aMKd4[/embed] Nylander has been on a tear, scoring five goals in his last three games to bring his total to 23 on the season, just one behind Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl for the NHL lead. At his current pace, Nylander is on track for an impressive 57.5 goals this season, which would shatter his previous career-high of 40 goals—a mark he reached in each of the past two seasons. Over his career, Nylander has consistently been a scoring threat, with six seasons of at least 20 goals and a total of 244 goals in 553 career NHL games before this campaign. Despite his incredible form, Nylander insists that he’s not focused on the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy but admits he’s aware of the standings. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i54mQSzyNM[/embed] “I don’t really know. I know that Leon had 23 goals or whatever, but it’s like, that’s not what I’m thinking about,” Nylander said after Toronto’s 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday. Toronto’s offensive game has shown signs of resurgence recently, but the team’s scoring rate still lags behind its usual pace. The Maple Leafs currently rank tied for 13th in the NHL in goals scored through games played on Sunday—an improvement from their ranking of 20th just a few weeks ago. Nylander’s offensive surge, including his five goals, has been a major factor in Toronto’s climb back up the rankings. “He’s been a good player for a long time, hasn’t he?” said Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube on Saturday. “He wants the puck and wants to make things happen with it. You know, he’s motivated.” Earlier in the season, Nylander discussed with Berube the importance of increased ice time to keep him engaged, a strategy that has paid off. Berube has responded by extending Nylander’s shifts, even keeping him on the ice for the full two minutes of Toronto’s power plays. Nylander elevated his game last season and was rewarded with an eight-year, $92 million extension. So far, he's living up to the moment. Of course, if Matthews is somehow able to return at some point and not show any ill effects from his upper-body injury, the reigning goal-scoring champ will always be in the conversation. He has 11 goals in 24 games this season.
