Brendan Shanahan, a two-time 50-goal scorer in the NHL, said it's just a matter of time before Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews reaches that mark himself, even if he's denied the chance to try to get there this season.
Matthews was three goals shy of 50 when the NHL paused the season March 12 because of concerns about the coronavirus.
"Looking ahead as opposed to looking back, Auston's a guy with so much of his career in front of him that he'll have plenty of opportunities to chase that down again," Shanahan said Thursday. "Whatever happens, 50 is still special number."
After speaking with the 22-year-old following the pause, the Maple Leafs president said he came away impressed with Matthews' attitude of not dwelling on his personal goal total.
"He and I had a brief conversation afterwards, and his attitude was really good, really more focused on where it should be, which is on team success," said Shanahan, who scored 51 goals in 1992-93 and 52 in 1993-94 with the St. Louis Blues. "The good thing is, Auston is a young man and he's incredibly motivated. I wouldn't be surprised to see him right back hunting down those numbers in those future years."
If the season resumes at some point, Matthews, who has 47 goals in 70 games (0.67 per game), will have 12 games to attempt to join Rick Vaive (54 in 1981-82; 51 in 1982-83; 52 in 1983-84), Gary Leeman (51 in 1989-90) and Dave Andreychuk (53 in 1993-94) as the only Maple Leafs to score 50 goals in a season.
Toronto (36-25-9) is in third place in the Atlantic Division at the pause. Matthews, forwards Mitchell Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander, Zach Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen, defensemen Jake Muzzin and Morgan Rielly, and goalie Frederik Andersen are signed past this season and form the core Shanahan believes makes the Maple Leafs a Stanley Cup contender.
"As I said (earlier this month) and I'll say it again, I really believe in this group," he said. "And I believe they will get there. And I can guarantee there will be a lot of noise and second-guessing until we do."
Shanahan made similar comments in Los Angeles on March 5 during the Maple Leafs' 0-2-1 trip through California.
Life has changed a lot in the ensuing three weeks.
Shanahan now spends his days in self-quarantine with his wife and three kids at his Toronto area home, but he said he communicates daily with Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, coach Sheldon Keefe, other front office staff and the players.
"Kyle's done a great job keeping everyone updated and making sure a line of communication is always going on," he said. "The thing is, we can't predict what is going to happen. No one can. This is bigger than hockey. Far bigger. You just try to be prepared.
"There's no such thing as a typical 24 hours. I mean, 23 of those 24 are at home. What I'm going through is what everyone is going through. Today is much different than a week ago.
"Part of you is thinking about friends, family, staff, their health, their safety, and what is going on in the world. The other part is dealing with NHL matters that are so much in flux. There is a lot of juggling going on. One day, I'll be working on one thing; the next, it's something entirely different."
The ever-changing landscape is why Shanahan said he doesn't like to predict potential Stanley Cup Playoff formats if the NHL comes back this season.
"Our biggest challenge right now is that there is no certainty," he said. "The No. 1 priority for all of us right now is the health and safety of our society.
"I do feel sorry not only for our players, but everyone else as well. You play for the chance for a Stanley Cup, and it's tough to have that opportunity taken away, for fans, players, you name it. But that, like stats, anything like that, it all takes a backseat. There are more important things to deal with right now."
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