Tough blow on Auston Matthews... thanks in part to Mitch Marner!

When you’re the face of a franchise and was just given a four-year extension that carries an AAV of $13.25 million to be tied to the Toronto Maple Leafs until 2028, it comes with some expectations… Auston Matthews won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2021-22 thanks to a league-best 60 goals that also propelled him to a second consecutive Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy. He may have dipped slightly in 2022-23, scoring 40 goals and 85 points over 74 games, but with the confidence given by the Maple Leafs with the pending extension, fans assume Matthews will rack up points, maybe breathing down the neck of Edmonton Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid…

However, not so fast. ESPN recently shared their stats projections, and believe Matthews will rack up 99 points in 2023-24.

Sure, that could be feasible, however, ESPN also stirs up trouble, by predicting that his teammate Mitch Marner will be better than Matthews with a total of 102 points.

If the projections are accurate, this could have a major impact on the type of contract Marner demands when he is eligible to negotiate with the Maple Leafs come July 1st, 2024.

Could he get more than Matthews’ $13.25 million AAV?

If ESPN is right, it could be the case… Or maybe Matthews will look to prove the projections wrong and go all out in 2023-24, maybe reaching levels closer to McDavid and Leon Draisaitl…

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