Auston Matthews finding his way to the cover of EA's game twice in three years is strange for a few reasons, but it isn't because he was a bad choice.
He's an all-world talented young American player who just happens to play for one of the league's biggest teams in Canada's biggest market. It's a no-brainer pick, but twice in three years?
Matthews graced the cover for the first time for NHL 20 before the season that ultimately got disrupted because of the pandemic, but his track record was already elite. He won the Calder Trophy in 2017 fresh off being the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft.
He put up 40, 34, and 37 goals in his first three seasons, which led to him being the EA cover choice, and he led the Maple Leafs to the playoffs in each of those years. That he got Toronto back to the postseason for the first time since 2013 and just the second time since 2004 only helped strengthen his case.
When he was named to the cover for NHL 22, though, it helped only highlight other players who had a case to be made for them to be there instead. We're thinking of Sidney Crosby in particular but also Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, Mitch Marner and Johnny Gaudreau to name just a few.
Ultimately, Matthews for NHL 20 was a prime choice and Matthews for NHL 22 seemed underwhelming. Not because he is an unimpressive player (he won the Rocket Richard in 2021), but rather because there were so many other worthier candidates.
