Mats Sundin congratulates Auston Matthews on becoming Leafs’ all-time goal-scoring leader
Matthews received praise from Sundin shortly thereafter, with the Leafs legend sending a video message his way on Saturday night via Sportsnet.
“Auston, congratulations on becoming the all-time goalscoring leader in Maple Leafs history,” Sundin said. “What a treat for all Maple Leafs fans around the world to have a player like yourself representing the Toronto Maple Leafs. And even more importantly, you’re a great person and a great leader for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Congrats, from Stockholm, Sweden!”
Mats Sundin congratulates Auston Matthews for passing him on the Leafs’ all-time goals list 🤝
Sundin last set the franchise goalscoring record in October 2007, also against the New York Islanders. Scoring a third-period goal in front of a nearly sold-out home crowd, Sundin set two records at once, passing Darryl Sittler’s franchise-leading goal and points totals of 389 and 527, respectively.
Now, the scoring title belongs solely to Matthews, but Sundin still holds the team’s all-time points record, finishing his Leafs career with 987. Matthews is the highest-ranked active player on that list, currently fifth all-time with 758 career points. He is currently just 10 points away from tying Borje Salming for fourth all-time on the list.
With Sundin having played four seasons with the Quebec Nordiques before arriving in Toronto, Matthews is still a while away from passing Sundin’s career goal total of 564, but considering he’s still 28 years old, it’s not hard to imagine he’ll get there. What’s most impressive about Matthews’ goalscoring tally is the speed at which he has achieved it. Sundin’s 420 goals came in 981 career games played in the blue and white sweater, while Matthews achieved the feat in just 663 games. Matthews’ production has been quieter the past two seasons, but he’s seen things pick up over the last few games, with six goals in his last four matches.
As the Maple Leafs look to get their season back on track and climb back into a playoff spot, that kind of consistent production will be a key factor moving forward.