Auston Matthews: A look at the difficult season the Maple Leafs star has endured so far

It has not been the season that Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs envisioned after being named the Hart Trophy winner last year. While he remains productive for Toronto, he currently finds himself well behind the league lead in goals scored.

So far this season, Matthews has posted 29 goals and 33 assists for the Maple Leafs, who sit second in the Atlantic Division with 86 points. His 29 goals rank him tied for 23rd in the league with Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman and Andrei Kuzmenko of the Vancouver Canucks.

Last season, Matthews was a force to be reckoned with, scoring a league-leading 60 goals while also recording 46 assists. After his phenomenal season, Matthews was presented with the Maurice Richard Trophy as the top goal-scorer and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the MVP.

"Auston Matthews wins the Hart Memorial Trophy, making him the 2021-22 NHL MVP!" - ESPN

Matthews was also the winner of the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players' Association.

While Matthews' current season is a far cry from the previous campaign, the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar has remained a clutch contributor for the club. The talented forward has recorded six game-winning goals so far this year, leaving him three behind league leader Connor McDavid, who has nine.

"Auston Matthews scored his 51st career game-winning goal, passing Ron Ellis for the 4th-most in #LeafsForever history: Mats Sundin - 79, Dave Keon - 63, Frank Mahovlich - 55, Auston Matthews - 51" - Sportsnet Stats

Matthews was added to that list last night by helping the Maple Leafs win an important matchup against the New Jersey Devils. Toronto's victory helped them close the gap between them and New Jersey, who are currently two points ahead of them.

It remains to be seen if the game-winning goal last night will spark the superstar for the remainder of the season, but thanks to the seasons of William Nylander and Jonathan Tavares, he does not need to perform at an MVP level all season long.

Auston Matthews' career stats in the NHL so far

Throughout his seven-year career, Matthews has recorded 288 goals and 231 assists in 464 games. Matthews currently sits a career +/- of +99. While the Toronto Maple Leafs have failed to accomplish much in the playoffs since Matthews joined the team in 2016, his contributions in the regular season are undeniable.