Auston Matthews has remained out of the public eye during a very busy offseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Besides a video welcome to first overall draft pick Gavin McKenna, nary a word has been heard from the Maple Leafs' captain.
Despite keeping to himself, which is not usual during the offseason, Matthews is receiving praise for his leadership during a time when a lot of turnover has happened within the organization. During a recent episode of the Toronto Sports Rush podcast, host Kyle Andrew and guest Pierre McGuire discussed the keys to success for the Leafs' returning players when the topic of Matthews' leadership was brought up.
How Matthews Has Showed Leadership This Summer
Andrew first asked McGuire about Matthews' on-ice play. The former NHL coach and broadcaster described the star center's performance as "pedestrian." Still, he acknowledged that most players around the league would love to have similar numbers to Matthews, even in a down year. He then listed down-low coverage, forechecking, and second effort as areas that weren't up to standard for Matthews last season.
The host then mentioned Matthews' leadership style. "He's not a very vocal captain, but I think he's handled things very well this offseason, from the perspective of keeping relatively quiet and letting this new management group do their thing," said Andrew. He then remarked how he loved the video message Matthews sent to McKenna at the draft.
Andrew added, "He's doing, perhaps, the right things by, at this point, not being very vocal. Not that he's a super vocal captain to begin with, but that's not always necessary. I think you can provide leadership through understanding and patience, and he may have done exactly that this offseason."
"I think you can provide leadership through understanding and patience, and he may have done exactly that this offseason."Kyle Andrew on Matthews' leadership
McGuire agreed with his host's sentiments and also noted the important additions of new assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson and senior advisor Mats Sundin and their roles with respect to Matthews. He pointed out how Alfredsson's experience as a captain in a Canadian-based market will help Matthews.
Sundin's hire has been underrated, according to McGuire, with the focus on John Chayka. "Mats Sundin's coming in and brings instantaneous street cred with all those players because he was the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has had successful years in the National Hockey League."
McGuire also noted Sundin's Olympic gold medal, and like Matthews, he was a first-overall pick. "If there needs to be some fine-tuning over the course of the year, I'm willing to bet there'll be more than one or two dinners between Mats Sundin and Auston Matthews if there are any issues that Auston's experiencing," said McGuire.
In the view of Andrew and McGuire, Matthews' hands-off approach, letting a proactive Chayka and Sundin retool the Maple Leafs, is the proper tone to set for the organization. It will help foster a winning culture and further optimism for the upcoming season.
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