Since he was drafted in 2016, Auston Matthews has emerged as the undisputed star player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His new contract has elevated him to the NHL player with the highest AAV, setting a new level of expectations towards him. <div align='center' style='padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:20px;'><img src='https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/304649.webp' width='100%' border='0' alt='image' loading='lazy' defer /></div> <h2>Matthews vs Marner</h2> Matthews has delivered impressive goal-scoring performances, netting 60 goals in the 2021-22 season and 40 the previous year, despite playing with an injured wrist. He's also crossed the 100-point mark once in his career. ESPN's recent predictions estimate Matthews will score 99 points this season, a remarkable figure by any standard. Yet, it's the projection for Mitch Marner that truly captures attention. <div align='center' style='padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:20px;'><img src='https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/304580.webp' width='100%' border='0' alt='image' loading='lazy' defer /></div> <h2>Marner to Have Breakout Season?</h2> ESPN predicts that Marner will register 102 points, edging out Matthews by a narrow 3-point margin. Although Marner has never eclipsed the 100-point mark in a regular season, he came very close with 99 points last year. While the difference of 3 points may seem insignificant, it's intriguing to note that Marner is projected to outperform Matthews in the upcoming season, particularly in the wake of Matthews' high-profile contract extension. <q>Tough blow on Auston Matthews... thanks in part to Mitch Marner! #LeafsForever </q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/HockeyFeedBlog/status/1697074226279125277'> </a></blockquote></div> Should Marner outscore Matthews this season, it will undoubtedly add an interesting dynamic to his future contract negotiations. <q>ESPN Projected Top-10 Points leaders next year: 148 Connor McDavid 129 Leon Draisaitl 116 Elias Pettersson 112 Matthew Tkachuk 108 Jason Robertson 107 Jack Hughes 107 Nikita Kucherov 106 Nathan Mackinnon 105 David Pastrnak 102 Mitch Marner Any surprises?</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/BigHeadHcky/status/1697009435963805953'> </a></blockquote></div> As seen on Hockey Patrol - <a href='https://www.hockeypatrol.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/Mitch-Marner-To-Have-A-Better-Season-Than-Auston-Matthews' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Marner To Have A Better Season Than Matthews?</a>