Matthews' leadership praised by Spezza, others
When he burst onto the NHL scene with a 4-goal debut, all the talk was about his his shot, his skill, his size and of course, his prowess to score at will. Half way through his 6th season in the NHL, all of those narratives remain true about Auston Matthews, but now the talk is about how he and his game have matured.
The last two seasons in particular, the evolution of Matthews' game has grown by leaps and bounds. Not only has he become one of the best two-way centers in the league, but off the ice, he has become a leader inside the Leafs dressing room.
The Leafs tried to bring in veterans the past couple seasons to "change the culture" in the room to get over the playoff hump and while they may not have helped get through the first round, they have certainly helped Matthews develop into a pro's pro.
Jason Spezza, who has played the last 3 years with the Leafs was asked today about Matthews' leadership saying, "he has really transformed himself into a leader in the locker room. He's taking guys aside for one-on-ones, having conversations at the right time in the dressing room and pushed us at times to be better. He's got a great mind for the game... and he's got a great pulse on whats happening in the room."
It might not seem like much, but those conversations you constantly see him having on the bench with Marner, Bunting, Nylander, or whoever else, are part of what makes him a great leader. His work ethic in the gym and at practice, other guys see how hard he works and it pushes them to do the same.
Echoing what Spezza said about Matthews having a great pulse on the room, while he works hard and pushes himself to always improve he has not been shy about getting the team to loosen up, and have fun at practice or around the rink if it's called for. There is still plenty of veteran presence on this Leaf team, but it seems that Matthews has taken it upon himself to do everything he can, both on and off the ice, to get this team past the first round come playoff time.
As Keefe said on Friday, "he's stepped up more, vocally." What more could you want from your leadership group than to be vocal and to do things the right way both on and off the ice?
