Matthews, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, lived up to the hype. The 19-year-old scored four goals in his NHL debut Oct. 12 at the Ottawa Senators and was tied for second in the League in goals (40). He led NHL rookies in goals, points (69), shots on goal (279) and game-winning goals (eight), and had 21 power-play points (eight goals, 13 assists). Matthews set Maple Leafs rookie records for goals and points in a season.
"He knows very young, as a rookie, that physically he can dominate, and he did that in his first season," Rupp said. "I mean, 40 goals. When you look at our list, most of these centermen we're talking about in the National Hockey League are playmakers, they're not necessarily finishers. … He might be a little higher than what people would think but, I mean, how do you put any restrictions on him? He had 40 goals and turned the face of a franchise around. He's been unbelievable."
Matthews had three goal streaks of three or more games, including a five-game streak from March 25-April 3. The Calder Trophy winner also had five points (four goals, one assist) in six postseason games for Toronto, which qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13 by improving its point total from 69 in 2015-16 to 95 last season.