Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images
Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has won the 2021-22 Hart Trophy as the player viewed to be the most valuable to his team, it was announced Tuesday. He beat out Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the honor.
NHL Public Relations @PR_NHL
Auston Matthews is first <a href=”https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@MapleLeafs</a> player in 67 years to claim the Hart Trophy. <a href=”https://twitter.com/AM34?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@AM34</a> is the third player in franchise history to claim <a href=”https://twitter.com/NHL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@NHL</a> MVP honors, following Ted Kennedy (1954-55) and Babe Pratt (1943-44). <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLStats?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NHLStats</a>: <a href=”https://t.co/gMUuQjy2dM”>https://t.co/gMUuQjy2dM</a> <a href=”https://t.co/BEU5c1dghq”>pic.twitter.com/BEU5c1dghq</a>
This marks Matthews’ first Hart Trophy victory, and he is the first Maple Leaf to win the award since Ted Kennedy in 1954-55. He was also nominated for the award during the 2020-21 campaign but came in second behind McDavid.
Matthews had a dominant season for the Maple Leafs, scoring a career-high 60 goals and 46 assists for 106 points in 73 games. It was his third consecutive season with at least 40 goals, and he has never scored less than 34 goals in each of his six seasons.
The 24-year-old’s efforts helped Toronto finish second in the Atlantic Division with a 54-21-7 record. The team’s 54 wins and 115 points were the most in franchise history.
The Maple Leafs selected Matthews first overall in the 2016 NHL draft, and he has been one of the best forwards in the league since. He has tallied 259 goals and 198 assists for 457 points in 407 games.
In addition to winning the Hart Trophy, he won the 2021-22 Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer and the Ted Lindsay Award. He also won the Rocket Richard during the 2020-21 season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie during the 2016-17 season.
Matthews signed a five-year, $58.2 million deal with the Maple Leafs in 2019 and will be a free agent after the 2023-24 season. Based on the way he’s been playing, he’ll be in for a massive extension worth more than the $11.6 million annually he makes now.
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