Auston Matthews had a season for the ages and should earn Leafs first Calder in 51 years
TORONTO — It took all of 14 minutes 18 seconds for Auston Matthews to set his first record this season.
On a mid-October night in Ottawa, Matthews became the first player picked first overall at the NHL draft to score two goals in his first period. He finished the evening as the only player in the league’s 100-year history to score four in a debut.
Before the 19-year-old plays his first playoff game for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Washington later this week, it’s worth pausing to consider how historic Matthews’ rookie season was, not just in the context of the Leafs franchise, but in the league itself.
Matthews truly had a season for the ages.