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Toronto Maple Leafs: 5 Bold prediction heading into the 2019-20 season

By David Morassutti

Auston Matthew #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs congratulates Frederik Andersen #31 after the final whistle of an NHL pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena on September 28, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Auston Matthew #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs congratulates Frederik Andersen #31 after the final whistle of an NHL pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena on September 28, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs waits for a faceoff against the Boston Bruins. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Auston Matthews scores 50 goals

If there is one thing we know about Auston Matthews is that he likes to score goals at a ridiculous rate.

When he started his career he was able to reach 50 career goals in 96 games and since 1994 only Alex Ovechkin was able to reach the milestone in fewer games. Last season, it looked like Matthews was well on his way to setting a new milestone until injuries shortened his season to under 70 games for a second-straight year.

Ovechkin put up 51 goals last season (0.63 goals-per-game) in 81 games, it was the first time he reached 50 or more goals since the 2015-16 season. Matthews started the season off with 10 goals in 11 games which was probably not sustainable but missing the month of November and scoring only two goals in January had an impact as well.

Now with William Nylander back on his line, there’s enough reason to believe Matthews can continue to elevate his game offensively. Considering the Leafs are paying the 22-year-old $15.9 million this season ($11.634 cap hit) they certainly expect him to trend upwards.

We know what Matthews is capable of scoring at least 30 goals at even strength and hopefully, he can find a way to get more production on the power play in his new position on the right side. These are some of the ways he can continue the chase for 50 and if he were to reach the milestone, he would be the first time a Leafs player since Dave Andreychuk.

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