Over his first three seasons, despite being one of the best goal scorers in the league from the moment he entered it, Matthews averaged 17:38, 18:08, and 18:33 of ice time, respectively.
The ice time for the Leafs’ young stars — particularly Matthews — became a major talking point for months carrying over into the next season. Ultimately, Mike Babcock was fired, Sheldon Keefe was hired, and Keefe immediately made it known that he planned to give the team’s top two young players, Matthews and Marner, as much ice time as they can humanly handle. Fans rejoiced, their minutes shot up, they lit up the scoresheet, and the team continued to lose in the first round of the playoffs, only this time to lesser opponents they were favoured against.