Sundin hopes Matthews rewrites Leafs’ record book

TORONTO – Mats Sundin is fine with being tracked down.

The former Maple Leafs captain has been the proud owner of a couple of franchise marks that appeared fairly safe until 2016.

The clock, however, is ticking.

Sundin registered 420 goals and put up 987 points in his 981 regular-season games with Toronto. Star centre and current captain Auston Matthews, who scored an outrageous 69 times in 2023-24, sat just 50 goals back heading into Monday’s action.

The top pick at the 2016 NHL draft also had 653 points in 567 contests ahead of Toronto’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning — a pace that should have him within shouting distance of the team’s scoring record in the coming seasons.

“That’s why we have records,” Sundin said in a recent interview. “They’re supposed to be broken. Auston, if he keeps playing the way he has, he could be doing it as early as this year in terms of the goal record.

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“Maple Leaf fans are fortunate to have a player like him.”

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Sundin, who is promoting his book “Home and Away,” spent some time around the Leafs during training camp.

The franchise icon came away with a good feeling about a team that never tasted glory in his 13 seasons from 1994 through 2008, and has a Stanley Cup drought dating back to 1967.

“I really like the team,” he said. “I’m very impressed with the personnel.”

That personnel includes Mitch Marner, whose future with the club is in question beyond this season. The winger and whipping boy for portions of a frustrated fan base thanks to a string of playoff failures has been eligible to ink a contract extension since July 1, but remains unsigned with unrestricted free agency looming next summer.

“Mitch Marner, in my eyes, is one of the best players in the league,” Sundin said. “A great two-way player, great person off the ice. He’s going to be a great asset for the Leafs this year and hopefully in the future.”

That future in Toronto definitely includes Matthews, the owner of a big-money contract that runs through the 2027-28 season.

Sundin, similar to captains before him like Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark and Darryl Sittler, understands that pressure and relentless grind.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a letter on your sweater,” Sundin said. “Auston’s proven to be a fantastic, great hockey player — one of the best in the world. But also he’s an absolute quality person off the ice. Just continue to be yourself and play the game you always did. The guys will follow.

“He’s a natural leader.”

And one Sundin can see in the rear-view mirror.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

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