An interesting development coming out of Toronto Maple Leafs training camp has superstar forward Auston Matthews set to join the team's penalty kill on a part-time basis during the 2020-21 season.
If it wasn't already bad enough that teams had to try to contain the elite goalscorer at 5v5 and during a Leafs power play, they will now also have to worry about the threat of #34 ripping one bar-down while the Leafs are short handed as well.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe took some time with the media on Thursday to discuss his musings during the first week of camp and also commented on Matthews' development, particularly on the defensive side of the puck.
"We've seen so much in his growth as a defensive player that we believe he can bring a lot [to the PK], and obviously the offensive threat that he is on the ice, in addition to some of our other penalty killers, brings a lot too".
Assuming this experiment is a resounding success, this should give Matthews some more traction in the Selke Trophy conversation, come NHL awards nomination time.
For those of you who may be wondering, the single season record for most shorthanded goals in NHL history is 13, set by Penguins great Mario Lemeiux in the 1988-89 season, overtaking Wayne Gretzky, who had previously held the record with 12 shorties in 1983-84.
It's possible that Matthews could hit that mark over a full 82-game season, but with the 2020-21 season being a 56-game campaign, looks like we may have to wait until 2021-22 for our answer.
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