Last year, as a rookie, Matthews also led the NHL in goals scored at even-strength. This year, he’s got 20 in 45 games. Nikita Kucherov also has 20, but the Toronto Maple Leafs centre has played eight less games.
Matthews may not be close to the overall goal scoring lead – Ovechkin has 32, and Matthews is tied for 11th with 25. The Rocket Richard trophy isn’t ever going to be something Matthews can win as long as Babcock limits his power-play time. While Matthews gets some of the biggest 5v5 minutes in the NHL, he is currently the Leafs 6th most used player on the power-play, in terms of ice-time per game.