Sidney Crosby weighs in on Auston Matthews’ pursuit of historic 70-goal season

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews needs six more goals to have a historic season in the NHL. Recently, future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby weighed in on Matthews’ pursuit of 70 goals.

"It’s crazy. Looking at different years, big years from different guys, 70 just seems like a crazy number but he could do it," Crosby said (via TSN).

Crosby knows what it’s like to make history. He’s led the Pittsburgh Penguins to three Stanley Cups and earned gold medals with Team Canada at the Olympics. That makes his respect for the Maple Leafs center all the more significant.

"It’s amazing," Crosby added. "Speaks a lot to the consistency that he’s had. But, yeah, that’s a crazy number."

70 may seem like a crazy number, but considering Auston Matthews has scored 60 goals in two of the last three seasons, it is certainly in his range.

After a slow start, Matthews went on a tear, briefly sparking a debate regarding the 50-goals-in-50 games mark. The Maple Leafs sniper came close, barely missing out. The run he had during the middle of the season fueled speculation about the 70-goal plateau. However, a brief slump silenced the talk.

After hitting the 60-goal mark against the Buffalo Sabres on March 30, Matthews has consistently found the back of the net, rekindling the 70-goal watch. He’s currently on 64 goals and 100 points, marking a remarkable campaign, regardless of whether he hits 70.

Toronto has six games remaining, including a playoff preview against the Florida Panthers, so Matthews still has an outside chance to catch the magical 70-goal mark.

Auston Matthews in the Hart Trophy conversation

With Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and Avalanche sniper Nathan MacKinnon leading the Hart Trophy race, is there room for Auston Matthews?

The talk around the league is that if Matthews can hit 70, he should get serious consideration for his second Hart Trophy.

Leafs captain John Tavares thinks Matthews deserves consideration for the Hart and Selke Trophies.

"He should be right there," Tavares said (via The Hockey News). "He should be, to me, he's right in the mix and should be nominated for both."

Ken Campbell of The Hockey News summed up Matthews’ Hart Trophy candidacy:

"Matthews is all goals and all Hart."

The Leafs square off against the New Jersey Devils at the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. Having playmaking wizard Mitch Marner back in the lineup should boost Matthews’ chance of hitting this incredible milestone.