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Toronto Maple Leafs: What We Learned From ESPN on Auston Matthews

By Jeff Borsuk

MONTREAL, QC - MAY 25: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on prior to a face-off against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in Game Four of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 25, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MAY 25: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on prior to a face-off against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in Game Four of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 25, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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With the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar athlete, Auston Matthews, being featured on the cover of EA Sports NHL 22 for the second time in three years, he became the subject of a recent article by ESPN. He spoke with them on a number of topics.

Not only did Matthews explain that he was a part of Justin Beiber’s entourage but he also got into a more important topic, the Toronto Maple Leafs. We have the highlights.

Matthews addressed losing in the playoffs to the Montreal Canadiens. He explained that it was not an easy loss to accept and John Tavares’s injury didn’t make it any easier to digest.

Matthews explained that he will learn from the experience and will use it to help find success in the future.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews

The main thrust of the article was Matthews take on the loss to the Canadiens, which was mature and , at least to my ears, sounded like a great answer.

This is what you want to hear from a star player. It can’t be easy to see to see a dream slip away, especially in the manner it did. That’s why, Matthews’ focus on the future is refreshing.

The former first overall draft pick even addressed the way his general manager, Kyle Dubas, has been operating in order to put the team in a position to win moving forward. Matthews, firmly stood behind Dubas and his belief in the “core” of the Toronto  Maple Leafs.

Matthews explained, “When [Dubas] reiterates [“he would ‘bet everything’ on the core of the Leafs being able to figure out how to win a championship.”], it gives us confidence moving forward. That’s all you can ask for: that your general manager and all your teammates truly believe in one another.”

The insight into Matthews’ thinking showed that things have really changed since 2018 where he was discontent with the team. That issue stemmed from a disagreement over ice time with his former coach, Mike Babcock. Now, playing under Sheldon Keefe, it appears that Matthews is in a good place with his organization, staying completely positive about his team in his recent interview.

We also learned where Matthews keeps all his hardware like his Rocket Richard Trophy. He told ESPN that his awards get stored at his parents house, which is something we were all wondering!

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Here’s hoping that the special room in Arizona continues to fill up. Some nice additions to the collection would be a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Maple Leafs Stanley Cup ring.

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