Sundin rooting for Matthews to top him for Maple Leafs’ all-time goals record

‘That’s the way it’s supposed to be,’ says former Toronto center, who leads current captain by 52

TORONTO — Mats Sundin has scored the most goals in Toronto Maple Leafs history, but he’s not expecting to lay claim to the honor for much longer.

With Auston Matthews 52 goals behind him at 368, trailing Darryl Sittler by 21 for second, Sundin knows it’s just a matter of time until his record of 420 is broken. And the former center will be cheering for Matthews to pass him.

“It’s nothing I really think about, obviously,” Sundin said at Maple Leafs practice Wednesday. “But I thought my career, my 13 [seasons] with the Leafs (1994-2008) were the most fun of my professional career, beating Darryl Sittler’s record (389) and now obviously Auston is going to beat my record, whether it’s this year or next year, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Matthews is more than capable of breaking the mark this season; the center scored 69 goals in 81 games last season and scored 60 goals in 73 games in 2021-22.

But what about the all-time NHL goals record? Wayne Gretzky holds that record with 894, but Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is 41 from tying it. Matthews’ 368 goals have come in 562 NHL games; Ovechkin scored 341 over the same number of games.

Sundin believes that record also is achievable for Matthews at some point.

“I think anything is possible,” Sundin said. “You look at the forwards the Leafs have with [Mitch] Marner and [William] Nylander and [John] Tavares, there is so much talent up front. He’s got all the possibilities to break a lot of records.”

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On Aug. 14, Matthews was named the 26th captain in Maple Leafs history, joining a rarified club that includes Sundin, who was Toronto’s 23rd captain from 1997-2008. Sundin, a native of Bromma, Sweden, and Matthews, who was born in San Ramon, California, share something else even more rare: They are the only two non-Canadians to hold the title.

“I mean, Toronto Maple Leafs is the biggest hockey franchise in the world, and so many great players have been captains, and it is a huge honor,” Sundin said. “Comes with the responsibility, but Auston is the top guy on the team.

“He’s the leader and he deserves it. I think it’s something that’s going to make him even a better player and feel like he’s a captain for the team. Just don’t change anything really, and he’ll be fine. He’s going to do great.”

Though Matthews’ chase for the Maple Leafs’ all-time goals record will garner attention this season, Sundin made sure to point out that the focus needs to remain on greater accomplishments for the team collectively.

“You look at the team Toronto has right now, it’s arguably the most talented of ever, I think,” Sundin said. “The goal record is just a small thing. It’s about getting the team to try to win a championship too, right?”

Sundin, who lives in Sweden, was in Toronto to promote his upcoming book, “Home and Away.” As much as he wants to see the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1967, he understands that holding the team’s goals record is a significant accomplishment. And if Matthews is in position to do it later this season, Sundin said he’d be happy to make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean again to be there when he does.

“As long as I get an invitation,” Sundin said, “for sure, I’ll be here.”