The votes are in, and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews has officially won the 2022 Ted Lindsay Award.
Whereas the Hart Trophy is awarded to the player who is deemed to be most valuable to his team as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Lindsay is meant to recognize the league’s most outstanding player, with the winner being voted on by members of the NHL Player’s Association.
Matthews is the first Maple Leafs in franchise history to ever earn this honor.
In a sport in which goal-scoring reigns supreme, Matthews paced the field, setting historic marks across the board in 2021-22 and becoming the first NHLer to score 60 goals in a season since Steven Stamkos managed that feat roughly a decade ago, while his eye-popping 44 even-strength markers led the league in that category, as well.
Matthews’ evolution into one of the NHL’s premier two-way forwards assuredly launched him to the top of his peers’ ballots, too. Racking up gaudy goal totals is one thing. But Matthews did so while never cheating for offense and providing borderline-elite defensive value to a team that needed it.
Now, he’s been recognized by those who face him around the league.
