Auston Matthews: Can he score 60 goals again without Mitch Marner?

Auston Matthews was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs first overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Excluding the fact that the Leafs are yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs during Matthews’ tenure, he has been everything Leaf fans could’ve expected from the Arizona-born forward and then some. 

Matthews’ previous performances

Matthews has become one of the best players in the league, and many people believe that if anyone can break Alex Ovechkin’s goal record, it’s him. He is what fans call a “generational” goal scorer. He had 47 goals in the 2019–20 season, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Matthews followed it up with 41 goals in just 52 games the following season. 

In 2021–22, Matthews had a career high of 60 goals in 73 games. He topped that by scoring an absurd 69 in 2023–24.

However, with the loss of Mitch Marner, Matthews will be trusted to provide even more offence. Fans are questioning whether Matthews can continue his ridiculous goal-scoring pace and score 60 again in the 2025–26 season. 

First of all, it’s very impressive to score 60 goals in an NHL season, let alone do it multiple times. Not many guys have done that. Matthews has done it twice in the past four years.

The last person to score 60 goals three times in their career was Brett Hull with the St. Louis Blues. He did it three consecutive years in 1989–90, 1990–91, and 1991–92. Hull had 70 or more goals each year in that span. Even though Matthews is likely going to be the guy to do it, I’d say it isn’t very likely. 

The injury bug?

The biggest thing that’s unknown for every player, not just Matthews, is the health aspect. With an 82-game regular season being very physically demanding, and Matthews being relied on even more than in past years, will he be able to stay healthy?

Additionally, next season, NHL players will be eligible to participate in the Olympics. When it comes to international tournaments, some players play with an extra sense of pride than with their NHL teams. This can cause players to get injured. We saw it with Matthew Tkachuk at the 4 Nations last season. At the end of the season, players are usually battling an injury. However, they’re more likely to sit out games in the regular season than the playoffs.   

Last season, Matthews wasn’t himself, and was dealing with an undisclosed injury that he sustained during training camp for the 2024-25 season. Now he is reportedly 100 percent healthy.

Batman without Robin

Even though some fans will argue the Leafs will be better without Marner, you can’t deny his offensive ability. The Vegas Golden Knights are paying him $12M per year for the next eight years for a reason. Matthews will likely be playing on a line with Matthew Knies this season, and he’s proven himself in his own right. He’s not an elite-level playmaker or passer at the level of Marner. 

Matthews will likely score a lot of goals this season, and he will probably be near the top of the league. However, I don’t think he’ll have as many as he did in past years. Marner was one of the most offensively gifted players the Leafs have ever had. Without his elite-level playmaking, I think Matthews will take a step back in the goal department compared to what Leaf fans are accustomed to seeing from their captain.  

Knies will be great, given his performance in the playoffs and his new contract. But who else is going to play with them? If it ends up being William Nylander, I don’t think that would go well. Nylander and Matthews will both want to be the top dog and put up a whole bunch of points. So, I don’t think that would be a good match. 

One guy that could be interesting to see on a line with Matthews is Easton Cowan. He led the London Knights to the Memorial Cup championship in 2024-25. Cowan also set a record of 65 consecutive games recording at least one point.

Cowan has high expectations coming from fans. Many believe he will be “the next Mitch Marner,” for the Leafs. If coach Craig Berube decides to put him on a line with Matthews, I think it would benefit both Matthews and Cowan.

Right now, Daily Face Off has the Leafs’ first line listed as: Matthews at centre, Knies at LW, and Matias Maccelli at RW.

If that ends up being the actual line, I don’t think Matthews will do as well as he would’ve with Marner playing with him compared to Knies and Maccelli.

Wait and see

Even though many fans believe Matthews has a chance to break Ovechkin’s goal record, he would have to put up Ovechkin-esque numbers to do it. I don’t think Matthews will score 60 again this season. It’s a difficult thing to do to begin with; Brett Hull is the only player to score 60 goals in a season three times. I think Matthews will take a step back due to Marner’s absence.  

We’ll have to wait and see, because Matthews, even though he’s viewed as a generational goal scorer, has more of a knack for his defensive play. I’m sure I’m not the only one who will be interested in seeing Matthews without Marner.