Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Penalty kill time on horizon

Matthews will see more regular time on the penalty kill this season, reports The Athletic.

Matthews has seen a total of only about 24 minutes on the PK in nearly 500 NHL games, but that's about to change. Matthews is one of the NHL's best 5v5 players and always among the league leaders in takeaways. So, the threat of a steal -- and of Matthews taking off shorthanded with a lot of open ice -- will certainly put extra pressure on opposing PPs. Matthews won't be one of the Leafs' top options on the PK -- those minutes belong to Mitchell Marner, David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok, with Sam Lafferty getting some, too. The only negative? Playing on the PK will likely lead to a slight drop in 5v5 time. That's less than ideal for one of the NHL's best 5v5 players, and for fantasy managers needing that even-strength production, but it won't be enough to affect his draft spot or overall fantasy worth.