Auston Matthews finishes 4th in Hart voting, finalist for Ted Lindsay Award
By Joseph Zita
2 days agoThe 2024 NHL Awards were held tonight, with the final five awards being announced and it was an uneventful night for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto’s Auston Matthews was named a finalist for the 2024 Ted Lindsay Award, having previously won the award in 2022, along with the Rocket Richard Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy during his first 60-goal season. Matthews came up short, losing out to Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, who recorded 51 goals, 89 assists and 140 points, all career-highs.
Matthews was previously snubbed as a Hart Trophy finalist, and MacKinnon captured the Hart as well.
Matthews received two first-place votes, 33 second-place votes, 53 third-place votes, 73 fourth-place votes, and 21 fifth-place votes for a total of 756 points in Hart Trophy voting — 89 points behind Connor McDavid, who finished third.
Matthews was the only Maple Leaf to receive votes for the awards tonight. Mitch Marner and William Nylander are typically in the running but they didn’t receive any down-ballot submissions.
Matthew Knies, who was among the best rookies in the NHL this past season, did not receive a vote for the Calder Memorial Trophy. There was always a slim chance that the former Minnesota Golden Gopher would be named a finalist for the trophy, but not receiving a single vote appeared to be strange.
Knies debuted with Toronto at the end of the 2022-23 season, playing in just three regular season games before getting a taste of playoff hockey against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. He was a regular in the lineup, and despite his ups-and downs, Knies finished seventh in goals (15), assists (20), and points (35) among rookies and finished tied for first in game-winning goals with three. With stats like those for a 20-year-old, it was odd not to see him receive a single vote.
Recent articles from Joseph Zita
