Another Saturday night in Toronto, and another dominant performance from #34, Auston Matthews.

The two-goal performance was almost expected, as Matthews has been a scoring sensation on home ice, and wouldn’t you know it, Matthews set another franchise record when he lit the lamp.

Matthews is the first Leaf to reach 25 goals in his first four seasons.

— Lance Hornby 🇺🇦 (@sunhornby) December 29, 2019

From the 4-goal performance his first game to tying the game Saturday night vs the Rangers after he already hit the crossbar seconds earlier, Matthews has the ability to put the puck in the back of the net, seemingly at will. Matthews currently sits 8th, on the all-time Leafs records for goals per game, and if the Leafs can somehow manage to get Matthews to sign another extension in 4 years and not flee for Arizona, he will play enough games in Blue and White, that when it’s all said and done, he could easily bump Mats Sundin from the top of the pedestal and be known as the best Maple Leaf of all-time.

How’s that sound ‘Matts’? (It is kind of fitting that’s his nickname.) 

All the old head Leafs fans that don’t believe in this young core are going to be throwing eggs at me, but the only argument I’ll listen to is ‘health’.

Matthews has been nipped with the injury bug early on in his career, playing only 68 games last year, and 62 the year before. Hard to break records when you’re sitting in the press box eating popcorn with Martin Marincin.

BUT – if Auston Matthews does stay healthy and does sign another extension with the Maple Leafs, #34 will go down as the best Maple Leaf of all-time. And if Sheldon Keefe keeps playing #34 and #16 together, Matthews will have Mitch Marner riding shotgun in the history books.

Marner currently sits 2nd all-time for assists per game in Maple Leafs history, but his biggest helper may come in a few years when he helps convince Matthews to stay in Toronto so #34 and #16 can be added to Legends Row.