Will Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews score 65 goals, bag Hart trophy in 2023-24 NHL Season? 

Can Auston Matthews score 65 goals? Chances are strong that the Toronto Maple Leafs sharpshooter will, at least, approach the milestone, barring any significant stints on the injured list.

Auston Matthews, a two-time reigning Rocket Richard Trophy holder, wrapped up the previous season with an impressive 60 goals in 73 games. This was the equivalent to a 67 goal pace for a full season.

The 26-year-old, who returned to action after a wrist injury kept him out at the start of last season, is currently in good health. It's worth mentioning, though, that his last complete 82-game season was during his rookie year.

While many were optimistic about his potential to surpass the 65-goal mark, others considered it quite far-fetched. Scoring 65 goals in a season is undoubtedly a formidable feat!

Auston Matthews' quest for 65 goals: The NHL's ultimate challenge

Matthews has been firing the puck at an unprecedented rate, averaging nearly five shots per game in the previous season. Remarkably, even with a nine-game absence, he maintained a lead of 14 shots over his closet rival, Alex Ovechkin, in the league.

If he continues to exhibit an even hotter shooting streak this season, perhaps exceeding the 18-percent mark he's reached twice before, and with 17.2 percent last season, Matthews appears destined to effortlessly reach the 65-goal milestone.

Auston Matthews' accomplishment places him in an exclusive club of NHL players, as only five individuals in the league's history have managed to score a hat-rick in their first two games of a season. He joins the ranks of Alex Ovechkin (2017-18), Cy Denneny (1917-18), Joe Malone (1917-18), and Reg Noble (1917-18).

As we're in the early stages of Matthew's current season, his impressive 18 goals in 18 games make us eagerly anticipate a full regular season schedule to see how close he can come to this modern-day record of scoring 65-plus goals.

Over his last 82 regular season games, Matthews has netted 59 times. Had this stretch been a full NHL season, he would have clinched all but two Rocket Richard trophies in the award's 25-year history.

Rachel Doerrie, host at The Hockey News, took her X account (formerly Twitter), and shared a prediction about Matthews winning the Rocket Richard Trohpy:

"Almost two weeks into the season, Auston Matthews is the new favourite to win the Rocket Richard Trophy. A breakdown of why that makes sense and how many goals the model projects him finish with for"

Matthews is rapidly approaching, if not already seizing, the title of the NHL's premier pure scorer. Because of Matthews' sharp focus and fitness, he has a legitimate chance of ranking in the top four or five greatest goal scorers in the history of the sport.

From the franchise perspective, he is arguably already the Maple Leafs' finest goal-scorer, if not their best player to ever don the jersey.