Matthews getting his C legs
Star centre enters season with health, happiness, just needs Marner back
CHICAGO— When July 1 came and his first signing bonus cheque landed in his bank account, Auston Matthews didn’t exactly celebrate or go crazy.
“That day, one of my best friends, he walks in and I’m half asleep at breakfast. He gives me a big hug and says congrats,” Matthews said. “I’m like, what’s going on? It’s seven a.m. Then I realized it was the first of July. But I’m not the type of person to (brag or show off ) ... It’s special. It means a lot to be in that situation.
“I had a nice dinner with my family. Mexican. Can’t go wrong with my mom’s cooking.”
Matthews is a happy Maple Leaf, signed for another five years, and hoping that this season, his fourth in the NHL, is his healthiest.
“I think I’ve gotten off to good starts all three years, and I was kind of derailed by injuries,” he said. “It sucks. You can’t really get back to how you felt prior to the injury.”
He scored 40 goals his rookie year, then 34 and 37 the last two seasons when he missed a combined 34 games. He hopes to develop the defensive side of his game, “and get better and better.”
Matthews could be the Leafs’ next captain, as early as this season. The team hasn’t had one since trading Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa in 2016. Matthews would welcome the C if offered.
“It would be a huge honour,” he said. “Just look at the history, the tradition, the guys that have come before you. I’ve been saying for a year and a half now, I feel comfortable with it.
“Regardless who it goes to, when they make a decision, no matter what really happens, I don’t think anything really changes with how I approach hockey or my life, or the way I treat my teammates. I’ll just continue to be myself every day.”
There are plenty of good candidates for the C, including Morgan Rielly and John Tavares. but Matthews seems preordained. Drafting him first overall in 2016 stands as a symbol of the franchise’s personnel and cultural changes.
While his relationship with Leafs head coach Mike Babcock has been the subject of plenty of speculation, it has evolved.
“I’ve earned respect from him,” Matthews said. “It’s not exactly a one-sided conversation any more. I can voice my opinion. We’ve had really positive talks over the last couple of months. I met with him in Phoenix again in summer, and it went really well.”
Almost as vital is his relationship with GM Kyle Dubas.
“He’ll send a group of us articles and stuff all the time, things he finds interesting,” Matthews said. “Different kind of ways of thinking. Business stuff. Podcasts. He sent some different podcasts, one on (NBA coach Gregg) Popovich. A paragraph from a book that he highlighted, something resourceful we can take out of it. I like that stuff, different ways or different ideas, especially of people in sports.”
As for the team, Matthews said he believes Dubas made it better with the off-season changes. That meant saying goodbye to some friends, but incoming players such as Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot and Cody Ceci have him excited.
“It’s tough. It’s part of the business of the game that you’re going to lose good teammates, good players,” Matthews said. “You hope for the best for those guys. But the players we have coming in, we’re really excited about.”
He sang the highest praise for Barrie. “He’s really smart, he’s not afraid to jump in the play, he’s offensive. He’s one of those guys that really produces points. Those guys are fun to get out there with. He and Mo (Rielly) … move the puck well, they skate well, they are really smart, they know when to jump into the play and when not to.”
And restricted free agent Mitch Marner?
“Mitch is a big part of our team,” Matthews said. “We want him there as soon as possible.”