The Maple Leafs opened training camp with a media availability at the Ford Performance Centre on Wednesday.
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Auston Matthews was noncommittal about his future with the Maple Leafs back in April.
“I can’t predict the future,” he told reporters on locker clean-out day after Toronto missed the playoffs for the first time in his 10-season career.
As the Leafs opened training camp on Wednesday, the captain cleared the air.
“My intent was always to be here,” Matthews said. “With the way things finished last year, you know, general manager [Brad Treliving] gets fired before the season’s over, there’s obviously a lot of incoming change. You never really know who’s coming in, what their plan is, what they think and it was just [my decision] to take a step back and see what happens and have open lines of communication with whoever was hired.”
John Chayka got the job on May 3 and has made a good first impression on the face of the franchise.
“I really like what he’s done this summer,” Matthews said. “I think he’s made some great changes, brought in some great people, great players, some great outside hires as well and it’s been great so far. Meeting everybody, you know, it’s been super positive. Great energy at the rink.”
Chayka gave the front office a facelift, revamped the support staff, changed the coaching staff and turned over almost half the roster during a busy summer. Among the new faces coming in are first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, 70-point defenceman Darren Raddysh and two-time Stanley Cup winning goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
The hope is all the change will allow the Leafs to bounce back immediately after a disastrous 28th-place finish last year. Matthews, who will celebrate his 29th birthday on Thursday, was in no mood for a full rebuild.
“For myself, like, it was more so just taking a step back and seeing who comes in because you never know, they might think something different or they may have different plans or different visions for what they see fit,” Matthews explained. “And so I thought it was just appropriate to take a step back, see what happens, and go from there.”
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Matthews has been sidelined since suffering a grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion in his left leg courtesy a knee-on-knee hit by Radko Gudas on March 12. He underwent surgery to repair the damage on March 20.
“He looks great,” Chayka said. “Give him credit, he’s put in the work. He worked with some world-class rehab specialists and trainers ... He’s full-go, 100 per cent. Physically, he looks great. More importantly, I’m sure you guys see it the same way I do, he is smiling, having fun, engaging with his teammates that way, and being the great leader he is.”
Matthews has two years remaining on his contract and will be eligible to sign an extension next summer.
“My message to the fans is just enjoy it,” Chayka stressed. “I know there is a lot of talk about him and his contractual status or things like that. One day, he won’t be a Toronto Maple Leaf. Hopefully that ends with retirement. But, ultimately, being able to have the privilege of working with him and watching him — not only on the ice, but off it — is a great honour for us and something [where] we’re excited to link arms with him and walk side-by-side as we try to accomplish a really hard goal.”
Matthews is coming off his two lowest goal-scoring seasons and the hope is better health and a new head coach in Jim Hiller can help him get back in the Rocket Richard Trophy race. Hiller knows Matthews well, having served as an assistant coach during his first three seasons in the NHL.
“In my experience with Jim, he’s extremely personable, good at talking, communicating with the players,” Matthews said. “I think that’s a very important part of this job.”
“I’ve had a pretty good relationship with Auston over the years,” Hiller said. “This is as excited as he’s been in my time talking to him and I just really appreciate it. I really appreciate where our relationship is today, how it’s grown over the years, and he gives me confidence right now when I speak to him.”
So, how many goals can we pencil Matthews in for?
“I don’t know exactly what that looks like or what number it translates into, but when you talk to your captain and your captain instills confidence in you, I would say you are in a pretty good place,” Hiller said.
Despite all of the offseason changes, the Leafs will likely only go as far as the 2022 Hart Trophy winner takes them.
“I think the expectations for myself are always high,” Matthews said. “I try to hold myself to an extremely high standard. It was a frustrating year last year, of course, but it’s a new season. We’ve had a lot of time to think about it and going into this year, [I’m] feeling as good as possible ... A lot of new people, new change, which is inevitable, but I think it’s also exciting too, to come to the rink and have that energy, have that excitement again.”
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One reason why Matthews is excited is the arrival of McKenna, who sat beside him and alternate captain John Tavares during Wednesday’s news conference.
Matthews recently invited the 18-year-old winger over to his place for dinner.
“I want to get to know him,” he said. “I mean, I’m as excited about him joining the team as anybody else. It’s not every day you get the first overall pick and get a person and player of his calibre.”
The presence of McKenna at Wednesday’s news conference raised eyebrows because in the past the team opted to have the leadership group speak on the first day at camp.
McKenna is embracing the spotlight in the centre of the hockey universe.
“Some people might not like it but, for me, I see it as a blessing in disguise,” the Whitehorse native said.
McKenna pointed out that it was criticism from media and fans amid a slow start in the NCAA that sparked a second-half surge at Penn State last season.
“I obviously want to have high expectations for myself, so coming to a market like this the expectations are going to be higher,” McKenna said. “I think it’s a good motivator coming to a market like this where the eyes are on you and you’re going to hear if you’re playing bad.”
McKenna is hoping to get off to a quicker start this season and can lean on fellow first overall picks Matthews and Tavares.
“He’s extremely aware of his environment and what’s going on around him, but is still soaking it in, enjoying all the steps along the way,” observed Tavares. “He’s very comfortable in his own skin.”
McKenna will be living with Tavares, who was the top pick in the 2009 draft.
Hiller highlighted that McKenna can also look to fellow rising stars Easton Cowan and Matthew Knies for support.
“He’s got peers with him,” the coach said. “It’s not just the old guys. So, I think we’re set up really well to have the right support around him and he’s just going to show us where he fits. We have no doubt that one day he’s going to bring us all out of our seats, we’re just not having the expectation or putting that pressure on him that he has to do that starting tomorrow when he hits the ice.”
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Despite McKenna being wise beyond his years, the Leafs plan to ease him into the lineup. TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reported on Insider Trading that McKenna will not start on the top line with Matthews.
“We’re just going to try to be wise,” Hiller explained. “We’re not setting any ceiling on him at all. We’re going to let him dictate where he falls and ultimately we all know he’s going to be a tremendous player in the league. How quickly does he get there? It’s a development curve for every single player who comes into this league.”
Hiller declined to say who McKenna will skate with at the first practice on Thursday.
“Let’s have the suspense build and let’s watch tomorrow morning,” Hiller said with a grin. “I know it’s a burning question, as it should be, but we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. You’ll find that out tomorrow. Our goal is to put him in the best position to succeed while accounting for all the other players on the team that we want to put in the best position to succeed as well ... You’d be surprised at how much goes into a decision on where a player of that stature starts. There’s always unintended consequences. You have to think about not only that player but other players.”
McKenna is hoping to earn a look beside Matthews at some point, but it sounds like free-agent signing Jack Roslovic is likely to get the first look on the top line. Roslovic played with Matthews during their junior days together at the US National Team Development Program.
“I’m really excited to play with him again,” Matthews said. “We’ve definitely stayed in touch and stayed pretty close over the years. Hanging out with him and seeing him again, he’s a lot of fun to be around. He’s funny. He’s always got something to say and definitely a chattier guy, which is great in the locker room. I’m excited to rekindle that chemistry with him. He’s been here for a couple weeks now so we’ve been skating with each other and hopefully it’s as seamless as possible as we get going here. I know I’m really excited.”
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After undergoing core muscle surgery on March 4, defenceman Chris Tanev has been cleared to play.
“He’s had an amazing recovery,” Chayka said. “He pushes himself as hard as anybody in the gym and on the ice. So, feel really confident that his injuries are in a good place. He’s as healthy as anybody and obviously he’s a big part of the team.”
Tanev, 36, also dealt with a concussion and spine injury last season. He was limited to just 11 games, which is a big reason why the Leafs fell to 31st in goals against.
“I think they missed him a lot last year,” Chayka said. “He’s an important piece for any team that’s serious about trying to be successful and we’re lucky to have him on our team.”
Tanev returns to roots as he plots path back to Leafs lineup
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Defenceman Morgan Rielly is dealing with a “viral condition” and may miss the first preseason game on Saturday.
“He is working his way through it,” Chayka said. “Nothing we’re worried about, but he will probably be ramped a little slower than expected. He might miss the first game, but we expect him to be ready for opening night.”
The Leafs open the regular season on Sept. 29 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Chayka: ‘At no point’ did Leafs have ‘serious trade opportunity’ with Rielly
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Forward Max Domi failed his physical ahead of training camp.
“He will be out indefinitely,” Chayka said. “He is going to address that personally in terms of his injury and he will do so in the near future.”
In May, the team revealed that Domi is dealing with complications from a surgery he had to remedy an issue he played through last season.
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Chayka also announced that right-shot defenceman William Villeneuve, who was a key part of the Toronto Marlies Calder Cup championship, is out long-term after undergoing ACL reconstruction.
