Despite a slower season for Auston Matthews, his 22 goals so far have been enough to make history. He is now the second-highest goal scorer in Maple Leafs history—a remarkable achievement, especially in a season disrupted by injuries.
Following Toronto’s 6-5 win over the Penguins, Matthews reflected on the milestone, expressing gratitude for being mentioned alongside a Leafs legend. “An honor to be in the same sentence as Darryl Sittler. He paved the way for a lot of us.” Matthews surpassed Sittler’s 389 career goals, now standing at 390.
This season, Matthews has been limited to just 22 goals, missing several games in November and dealing with lingering issues through December. It wasn’t until January that he fully rejoined the Maple Leafs, aiming to help push the team toward the playoffs.
Now, Matthews is closing in on the franchise’s all-time record. Mats Sundin holds the top spot with 420 goals, leaving Matthews just 30 goals shy of tying and 31 away from breaking the mark. With the remainder of the season, he could realistically add 10-12 goals to narrow the gap.
Matthews’ Continued Dominance in Leafs History
Matthews has steadily rewritten the Leafs’ record books. In 2022, he set the franchise’s single-season goals record with 55—foreshadowing even bigger milestones ahead. In January 2024, he became the fastest player in team history to reach 600 points, doing so with 40 goals that season. By the end of 2023-24, he had shattered Rick Vaive’s single-season goal record (54), setting a new benchmark with 69 goals.
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Matthews set several impressive records with the Maple Leafs, including becoming the fastest player to score 25 goals (52 games) and 500 points (445 games). He also set the rookie records for most points (69) and most goals (40). Additionally, Matthews was the first Maple Leafs player to score at least 30 goals in each of his first four seasons.
Matthews NHL records
Matthews also holds several notable NHL records. He scored the most goals in an NHL debut in the modern era (four goals). Matthews also holds the record for most goals by an American-born rookie (40). Additionally, he had the longest streak of consecutive games with a shot on goal to start a career (103 games). At age 21, he became the youngest player to record multiple points in each of his team’s first five games of a season, surpassing Wayne Gretzky.
