fom Kristen Shilton of TSN,

Auston Matthews has courted headlines with his gaudy offensive numbers to open this season, but the Toronto Maple Leafs’ star has quietly evolved in other directions too, by becoming one of the team’s more powerful forwards.

“I think I've made it a point in my game to be more physical,” Matthews told reporters on a Zoom call Saturday, ahead of facing the Montreal Canadiens. “I don't think it's really over the top, but when I have opportunities to use my size and strength, whether it's with the puck or without the puck, I’ll just try to utilize that to my advantage.”

So far, that strategy's been working. Through 13 games this season, Matthews has been credited with the second-most hits among Leafs’ forwards at 20, for a hits/60 of 4.20.

By comparison, Matthews turned in a 1.18 hits/60 over the first four years of his career.

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