The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into the 2023-24 season with very high expectations. It is understandable, as they sport an incredibly deep roster and are among the top clubs in the NHL because of it. However, if they hope to have real success in 2023-24, one player who will need to step up in a huge way is superstar center, Auston Matthews. Due to this, let’s go over three big expectations that he has for the 2023-24 campaign.
Matthews Needs to Get Goal Totals Back Up
Matthews put up strong offensive numbers during the 2022-23 season. In 74 games, the 25-year-old posted 40 goals to go along with 85 points and a plus-31 rating. Yet, at the same time, his goal scoring in particular took a noticeable dip for his standards. Keep in mind, he hit the 60-goal plateau in 73 games during the 2021-22 campaign and had 41 goals in just 52 games the season before. As a result, the Maple Leafs will be expecting Matthews’ goal totals to skyrocket back up in 2023-24.
When looking at Matthews’ goal-scoring success over the two previous seasons, it is fair to assume that he can at least hit the 50-goal plateau again in 2023-24. He also has new teammates to work with in Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and John Klingberg who have the potential to help improve his production.
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At the end of the day, if the Maple Leafs want to successfully win the Atlantic Division, they will need Matthews to produce at the rate he’s become famous for. It will be interesting to see if he can do just that.
Matthews Needs to Become a Bigger Leader
It might be hard to believe, but Matthews is entering his eighth NHL season. Barring any long-term injuries, he will reach his 500th career NHL game early on in the season. Due to this, even at just 25 years old, Matthews is starting to become a veteran forward in this league. The Maple Leafs will be hoping that Matthews can become a bigger leader in their locker room because of this.
Although the Maple Leafs have captain John Tavares locked up for two more seasons, there will come a time when Matthews takes over the C, assuming he re-signs with the club before next summer, of course. As a result, now is the time for him to truly become a big-time leader for the Maple Leafs, both on and off the ice.
A lot of the Maple Leafs’ success this season will come from Matthews’ ability to blossom into a true leader. It will be intriguing to see if he can take the next step in that area from here.
Matthews Needs to Carry Maple Leafs in Playoffs
Matthews’ biggest expectation in 2023-24 is to carry the Maple Leafs in the playoffs. Yes, Matthews has had a ton of regular-season success, but much like the Maple Leafs as a unit, he has struggled to translate it to the playoffs. In 50 career postseason games, he has 22 goals to go along with 44 points. Are these bad numbers? Not at all. Are they low for his standards? Absolutely.
This past postseason was also a mixed bag for Matthews. Although he had five goals and 11 points in 11 games, he noticeably was held off of the scoresheet in the Maple Leafs’ final three games against the Florida Panthers. He, unfortunately, cooled off when the Maple Leafs were facing elimination, and this is something that simply cannot happen again if they hope to go on a real run in 2024.
At the end of the day, if the Maple Leafs want to finally break their Stanley Cup curse, Matthews is going to need to be the main piece that carries them to one. When noting that he is one of the top players in the NHL, he certainly has the potential to do so.
Alas, it will be interesting to see how big of a year Matthews can have for the Maple Leafs during the 2023-24 season. If he fulfills these three big expectations, it could go down as the best season of his already-spectacular career.