Auston Matthews knows if the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to get passed the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they’ll have to find a way to outduel Florida Panthers’ centre Aleksander Barkov.

The Barkov/Matthews matchup could be one for the ages. Both centres are prolific two-way players, and last time around in 2023, Barkov, along with some help from his linemates, were able to shut down Matthews, not allowing one of the NHL’s best goal scorers to find the back of the net. Matthews knows he’s in for a major test in round two. ”

He’s big. He’s strong. He’s good in the faceoff circle. He’s probably the best two-way player, two-way centre in the league, in my opinion. You gotta fight for every inch,” Matthews told TSN’s Mark Masters after Sunday’s practice.

High praise from the Maple Leafs superstar, but certainly on point. Barkov was recently named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, along with linemate Sam Reinhart. Barkov has a chance to become just the sixth player in league history to win multiple Selke trophies, winning the award most recently in 2023-24. This season, the Panthers pivot scored 20 goals, 71 points in 67 games, while also collecting 54 blocks and 34 takeaways. Barkov has been named a finalist for the award four of the last five seasons.

Matthews was named a finalist last season, but didn’t make the cut this time around, however, should finish in the top-10 in Selke voting with another season of strong two-way play. It won’t just fall on his shoulders, as look for his line of Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner to get some of the assignment, along with the Leafs new identity line consisting of Scott Laughton, Steven Lorentz, and Calle Jarnkrok. This trio has the ability to get after pucks on the forecheck, use their cycle game to create offensive-zone time, while all three are defensively responsible to be on the ‘right’ side of the puck, limited opposing team’s high-danger scoring chances.

Matthews and the Maple Leafs open up Game 1 against the Panthers on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena, in what’s going to be their biggest, and toughest challenge yet.