Huge difference in Auston Matthews this season exposed

Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews is off to a great start in the 2023-24 season. While some rival fans make jokes that Matthews is only good during the regular season, never during the playoffs, they might find out they are very wrong later in next spring because of something very different with number 34 this time around.

Last week, Elliotte Friedman explained how there was a significant difference in Matthews this year, and it all comes down to being fully healthy - and unstoppable.

“Asked a few people why they thought Auston Matthews was off to such a hot start. Is he shooting differently? Going to other places on the ice? The number one answer received: “He’s healthy.” Matthews had wrist surgery in August 2021, but may have had another, minor procedure in the summer of 2022 that robbed him of being fully able to train that off-season. Asked Wednesday, Matthews declined to discuss it, making it clear he “wants to focus on the future” and “not make any excuses for what happened last year.”

Geez, I wish my “down years” were that good. Matthews scored 40 goals and had his second-most points (85) in 74 games despite being bothered by hand and knee injuries. But it’s clear now things weren’t right for him the previous summer, and didn’t get on-track for months. He had the opportunity to properly prepare this time, and you see the early results. “

Matthews has recorded seven goals in six games so far this season, and we’re talking about a guy that won the Hart Trophy in 2022. He scored a hat trick in the team’s season opener in a comeback win over the Montreal Canadiens and then scored another one three days later against the Minnesota Wild, giving him six goals in the Maple Leafs’ first two games. He did not score any more before last night’s win over the Washington Capitals, but stil managed to be important on his team’s penalty kill in the meantime. 

Matthews couldn’t have started this season any better and now you know why!

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