As the season progressed, the race for 70 goals was on in full form for Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs. Another discussion began to bubble up that he may be a finalist for the Frank J. Selke trophy which is awards to the best forward who does the most defensive skill in the game. Today, it was announced that Matthews along with Aleksander Barkov of the Panthers and Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes were all finalists.
It may come to a surprise by many that Matthews was on this list, but his numbers certainly show a growing acumen of defensive play while scoring the most goals in one season.
Through 81 games, Matthews had scored 69 goals with 38 assists for 107 points. He was a +31. Barkov played 73 games, scoring 23 goals with 57 assists for 73 points and was a +33. Staal played 80 games, scoring 10 goals with 20 assists for 30 points and was a -14.
The NHL has been making their finalist announcements daily since May 1st and several of the big names are yet to be announced.
Much will be made for the Art Ross trophy who have several superstars linked to it.
