from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

...with the Leafs at the halfway mark and staring down the busiest stretch of their schedule, there is no better time for the question to be asked: Do you want Auston Matthews to win a goal-scoring title or a Stanley Cup?

Would you rather him become the first player in the history of the Maple Leafs to win the Hart Trophy as the regular-season MVP, or would you rather he become the guy who gets immortalized for bringing a championship to the city for the first time since 1967?

Do you want him winning games for you now or in the spring?...

The Leafs have 28 games remaining over the next 57 days. That works out to be a game every other night. There’s no reason why Matthews — or 41-year-old Joe Thornton — has to play in every one of them. Not with the Leafs sitting comfortably in first place in the standings and pretty much guaranteed a spot in playoffs.

read on