NHL: Most surprising 40 goal seasons in NHL history: 25. Auston Matthews – 2016-17 Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews is a three-time 40-goal scorer coming into the 2021-22 season. He will likely continue to be a 40-goal scorer more times throughout his career. However, it was what he did in his rookie season that was so surprising. Matthews was the first-overall pick for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016. He was expected to be really good right off the bat, but this was ridiculous.
It all started in game number one. He scored four goals in his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators. It was one of the best debuts of all time. He slowed down a little bit after that. It would have been nice for the Maple Leafs if he kept on that pace of four goals a night, but unfortunately, 328 goals in a season weren’t in the cards.
However, he was able to break the 40-goal mark on the second-to-last day of the NHL season. He was also phenomenal in the playoffs, scoring four goals in six games. It wasn’t enough to keep the Maple Leafs away from their first-round curse, but it wasn’t on the rookie as to why the Leafs weren’t moving on in the postseason.
Matthews has become one of the greatest goal scorers in the NHL. He’s had 40 goals in two-straight seasons even though both seasons were shortened. He should be on the 40-goal list for a long time, but now he just needs to get that elusive playoff series win.