The highly anticipated 2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Monday, April 17. Two of hockey’s biggest stars will be looking to win their very first Stanley Cup. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) and Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) are already starting to run out of room in their personal trophy cases, but you already know the Stanley Cup has been on both players minds’.
The Edmonton Oilers selected Connor McDavid with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Only one year later, Matthews went to the Toronto Maple Leafs with the top overall pick.
Now, McDavid and Matthews are arguably the top two players in the professional circuit. They have combined to win the Hart Trophy three times, the Art Ross Trophy four times and the Rocket Richard Trophy twice. NHL projects those totals to only keep climbing over the next decade.
The only hurdle remaining for each player is hoisting 35 light pounds of silver and nickel alloy, or at least I imagine it’s light with all the adrenaline from winning the cup.
Matthews hasn’t even sniffed the second round of the playoffs in his career. He’s been to the playoffs six times, and Toronto has lost in a monumental Game 7 four times. Those early exits haven’t fallen on the shoulders of Matthews, but the Leafs must find a way to capitalize on their withstanding championship window.
McDavid and the Oilers have been a little more successful in the postseason. Yet, they still haven’t gotten any closer than eight wins away from a Stanley Cup. Edmonton reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022, where they were swept by the juggernaut called the Colorado Avalanche. Despite falling short, McDavid was the best player in the 2022 postseason. He tallied 33 points, which led the league and equaled Matthews’ career postseason point total.
This season, McDavid and Matthews can leave past playoff woes in the dust. They are both playing at an elite level. They have teams that are fully capable of going all the way. It will be well worth a watch this spring.