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# Leafs Notes: Matthews not in Hart trio, ex-players stir bench
interest
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Published May 07, 2024 • Last updated May 09, 2024 • 5 minute read
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Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews speaks to the media at the Ford
Performance Centre on locker cleanup day. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun
## Article content
When Auston Matthews' 69 goals, the most by any NHL player in almost
30 years, didn't even make the three finalists for the Hart Trophy,
you know it's a tough crowd.
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Article content
One of the best fields of MVP candidates in years will be settled
between Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay, Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and
Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, like Matthews of the Maple
Leafs, all former winners of the award as most valuable to their team.
Article content
The trio were named Tuesday in voting by the Professional Hockey
Writers Association. Those who likely also received support were
Matthews, Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers, David Pastrnak of
Boston (the latter two fourth and fifth in points behind the
finalists), Sidney Crosby for nearly willing the Penguins into the
playoffs single-handily and Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets
among goaltenders.
Full balloting will be revealed during the league awards presentation
at a later date. It will be a close finish of the three, Kucherov
reaching his league and personal best 144 points (44 goals, 100
assists) in 81 games to clinch the Art Ross Trophy. Kucherov and
McDavid were the first to have 100 assists in a season since Wayne
Gretzky's 122 for Los Angeles in 1990-91, Kucherov's 53 power-play
points also were the most in the league.
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MacKinnon was four points behind Kucherov, with 51 goals, leading the
league with 405 shots on net and a home points streak of 35 games to
start the season.
McDavid reached 132 points despite missing six games and still had at
least 100 points for the seventh time in his nine NHL campaigns. A
whopping 30 goals and 92 assists came in his final 65 games, an
average of 1.88 points per night. It would be McDavid's second
straight Hart and fourth overall.
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### COACHING CAROUSEL
Craig Berube was trending on the social platform X on Tuesday - and
not because the No. 16 he briefly wore as a Leaf is a collector's
item.
The former coach of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues is one of
many former Leafs the public has seized upon as the next coach, even
though Sheldon Keefe is still employed awaiting his fate. That's
likely to be decided before Friday's noteworthy news conference that
will feature new Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley,
flanked by club president Brendan Shanahan and general manager Brad
Treliving.
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Shanahan could be getting different duties, but in any case a move to
appease critics after eight years of getting no further than the
second round is expected. Even with Keefe's regular season track
record, the best points percentage in team history and the second best
winning percentage of the top 80 coaches in the NHL, his playoff
record is damning.
Berube had been mentioned earlier this season when Keefe's Leafs were
struggling, but he had just been let go by St. Louis in mid-December.
No stranger to being dropped into a role and excelling, he joined
Larry Robinson as the only coach to have won the Cup in an interim
role after he replaced Mike Yeo in November of 2018. But the New
Jersey Devils might beat the Leafs to Berube as they reportedly
intensified talks in recent days when their interim, Travis Green,
went to the Ottawa Senators.
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Two other former Leafs seem perpetually in the mix. Bruce Boudreau
loves to tell the story of his father's 'curse' that Toronto would
never win a Cup unless it brought Bruce back after not re-signing him
as a player 40 years ago. Boudreau, who played 134 games during the
1970s and '80s is now pushing age 70, but coaching up to last season
in Vancouver and once interviewed as a Leaf assistant. 'Gabby' remains
a popular figure with the older generation of Leafs Nation.
Joel Quenneville requires clearance from the NHL to resume coaching
after being sidelined a couple of years for his inaction during the
Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal back in 2010 with Chicago.
Quenneville played defence for the Leafs 1978-80.
According to NHL Stats, Quenneville, Sullivan, Boudreau and Keefe are
members of an exclusive coaching club, who have directed the same team
to at least 100 points in three consecutive seasons. Keefe just
finished becoming the first Leaf to do it among 22 in NHL history in a
minimum 70-game season. The list is led by another former Leaf coach,
Mike Babcock, who hit triple figures seven times between 2005-06 and
2011-12 with Detroit, while Quenneville did it four times in Chicago.
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If let go, many believe there eventually will be a home for Keefe in
Pittsburgh with former boss junior, AHL and NHL mentor Kyle Dubas. But
after Mike Sullivan missed the playoffs for a second season, GM Dubas
can sense there's still much respect in the room for his two-time Cup
winning coach.
Speculation on Rod Brind'Amour's future in Carolina after the playoffs
has been heavy as well. He's the only coach with a winning percentage
better than Keefe's, .615 to .607.
### LOOSE LEAFS
Leafs draft prospect Easton Cowan, the OHL's most outstanding player,
will be featured in the team's backyard now that his London Knights
will meet the Oshawa Generals in the OHL final. After Eric Lindros
conducted a ceremonial faceoff on Monday, the Gens beat the North Bay
Battalion in Game 7 of the Eastern final … Centre Fraser Minten, the
Leafs' other hot prospect and teammate Brandon Lisowsky of the
Saskatoon Blades, lost Game 7 of their WHL divisional final on Tuesday
3-2 in double overtime to Moose Jaw … The 12 goals the Leafs eked out
in the Boston series - they were missing Matthews and William Nylander
for chunks of it - were the fewest Toronto has had in a seven-game set
since 1950 when it scored 11 in losing to Detroit. The latter included
2-1 and 1-0 overtime losses … Game 7 on Saturday against the Bruins
was viewed by 3.1 million people, a Sportsnet record … While no Leafs
are going to Team Canada for the world men's hockey championship, it
was announced forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois (Los Angeles), Brandon Hagel
and Nick Paul (Tampa Bay) will be headed to Czechia for the
tournament. Teen forwards Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli were
dropped from the roster.
lhornby@postmedia.com
X: @sunhornby
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