Auston Matthews

Matthews is the best goal scorer in the league today, full stop. He finished the 2023-24 campaign with 69 markers, which is the most in a single season since 1995-96. He is the only player to record multiple 60-goal seasons since the league introduced the salary cap in 2005-06. That said, there are some drawbacks when picking the 26-year-old forward. For starters, a lot of his goals come on even strength -- 51 of 69 in 2023-24. He still provides value in leagues that count power-play goals or power-play points, but not quite as much as you might assume from a player of his caliber. Additionally, he's a bit of an injury risk. Matthews played in 81 of 82 outings last year, but that was the first time since his rookie season that he appeared in at least 75 games. He also isn't special in terms of assists, so even in a season where he recorded 69 goals, he finished just outside the top five in scoring with 107 points. Even with all those caveats, Matthews is a tremendous luxury to have on any fantasy team.

Matthews is one of the NHL's best. He's an elite goal scorer with a release that drops jaws. He has five, 40-goal seasons, and his points per game has been greater than one in every season since his rookie year. He already has one Calder, two Rocket Richards, a Hart and a Ted Lindsay, and all were earned before his 25th birthday. Matthews is a superstar on the ice and in fantasy, and the only thing that keeps him out of the top-five of your draft - roto, points, keeper or dynasty -- is his propensity for injury. He's missed time in five of his seven seasons and is likely to miss at least eight-to-10 games this year. Still, Matthews can dominate even when hurt - he won the Richard Trophy in 2020-21 while playing just 52-of-56 games (41 goals) and with a bad wrist. Draft him high in the back half of round one.

Matthews won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP last season. It came as no surprise considering he finished the year with 60 goals in 73 games, becoming the first player since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12 to reach such a milestone. Matthews has the best shot in the league, and when you put a league-leading 348 of them on goal as he did a season ago, a decent chunk are going to find the back of the net. Matthews is a sniper, first and foremost, but he also finished with a career-high 46 assists a season ago. Toss in 29 power-play points and you have an elite fantasy asset. Matthews is right there with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as a top-three fantasy pick this coming fall, and he should receive a minor bump in leagues which place an additional emphasis on goals scored.

Having come up just short of his first Rocket Richard Trophy in the 2019-20 season, Matthews entered the 2020-21 campaign out to stake his claim as the league's premier goal-scorer, and he did just that. The first overall pick from the 2016 NHL Entry Draft clinched his first goal-scoring title with 41 goals and 66 points in just 52 games during the pandemic-shortened season. The 24-year-old posted career highs in shooting percentage (18.5%) and average ice time (21:33). Matthews is the focal point of a high-octane Toronto offense and he's just starting to enter his prime years, so the right conditions are assembled for another dominant campaign. Armed with rare shooting skills, a talented supporting cast, and plenty of opportunity, fantasy managers should feel secure taking Matthews in the first round of all formats as the superstar embarks to defend his goal-scoring title and possibly contend for MVP honors.

Matthews took another step forward in his ascenscion to becoming one of the NHL's top scorers in 2019-20, setting new career highs in goals with 47 -- just one shy of David Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin's league-leading 48-goal performances -- points (80), shots on goal (290) and power-play points (25) during the Maple Leafs' 70-game regular season. The first overall pick from the 2016 draft will be just 23 years old when the 2020-21 campaign gets underway, so he could easily become the NHL's next 50-goal scorer at some point over the next few seasons. Although he's dealt with injuries in the past, Matthews didn't miss a single game last year, a feat made more impressive by the fact his average ice time jumped nearly 2.5 minutes from the previous campaign. He'll continue to center the Maple Leafs' top line while also being featured on Toronto's No. 1 power-play unit in 2020-21, and he'll almost certainly be in the Rocket Richard conversation toward the end of the campaign while producing at more than a point-per-game pace. Virtual managers shouldn't hesitate to grab this budding superstar in the first round of this year's fantasy drafts.

Matthews is a potential superstar, but so far, his game just hasn't lived up to that hype. Don't get us wrong -- he's dominant when he's on the ice. But the last two seasons, Matthews has played in just 62 and 68 games, respectively. He still tallies more than a point-per-game and he's one of the NHL's best goal scorers, but he wasn't even a top-40 scorer overall last season. Matthews will be drafted on name alone, but you'd be wise to let someone else take him, especially in the first round, or if you're in a cap league. He needs to show us what good health can give his game. Otherwise, Matthews may need to be treated just like the great Evgeni Malkin. That means holding your breath and hoping your backup plan will cover the inevitable injury time.

Stud. Superstar. Pretty soon, we'll run out of superlatives to describe this kid. What's a superlative? Crazy exaggerated praise and even that's not enough to paint the right picture. At 21 years old, Matthews is already a top-five NHLer who gets better with every game, and that will continue for years to come. His skill is off the charts and under Mike Babcock, his possession game has grown from very good to crazy great. Opponents just can't take the puck off him. Matthews is a dominant, point-per-game player who could approach 50 goals and 100 points in a couple years -- even with John Tavares wearing blue and white. Opponents won't be able to cover everyone, meaning every Leaf benefits. Matthews is now the face of the NHL, along with Connor McDavid. He should be the face of your fantasy squad, too.

Last season was a whirlwind for this teenage wunderkind. Matthews was drafted first overall in 2016, scored four goals in his NHL debut, notched 40 tallies overall and won the Calder Trophy in an absolute landslide (164 of 167 first-place votes). Matthews is a bonafide star as a teenager and even has playoff experience after upstart Toronto pushed the NHL's regular-season champs from Washington to six games. Matthews is already a top-12 fantasy forward for both single-year and keeper formats, and he's only going to get better. He brings it all -- size, speed, strength, talent, leadership and determination. He'll contend for the Maurice Richard Trophy this season for most goals scored (he finished in a tie for second in 2016-17) and his overall point total should approach 80 with speedy finisher Patrick Marleau on his flank. Draft early and enjoy the rewards.

Matthews is the franchise center that all 30 teams covet in today’s NHL – big, fast, smart and strong, with a work ethic that’s off the charts. He spent 2015-16 with the Zurich Lions in the Swiss League at just 18 years of age and was the best player in the league. He scored over a point-per-game and pretty much played keep-away from pros, some of whom previously played in the NHL and AHL. Matthews came out of the US National Team Development Program (NTDP) and broke the program scoring records of Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel along the way. Some scouts have compared him to Evgeni Malkin while others say Jonathan Toews. We lean to the latter – Matthews lives and breathes the 200-ft game and oozes leadership by example. He’ll do what it takes to help his team win, even if it means scoring 20 fewer points than he could. Draft him in keeper formats for a consistent 70 points, but know full well he could drive home 90 some day if the planets fully align. A Jack Eichel-like rookie campaign awaits in the role of third-line center. And don't be surprised if he takes the second-line job away from Tyler Bozak before season's end.