"There's no doubt about it, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews is a franchise player. Matthews along with Connor McDavid will be the face of the NHL for many years to come. Leafs head coach Mike Babcock gets emotional when he reminisces on the moment the Leafs's had the opportunity to draft Matthews. "Well, we got Auston," Babcock told TSN's Kristen Shilton while discussing the team's progress. "But what if we (didn't)? I remember when we got to three (in the draft lottery), I was jumping up in the living room. When we got to one, tears. People don't understand. You need real players."
Matthews of course proved Leafs management right when he scored four goals in his first NHL game. The 20 year old now has 65 goals and 112 points during his first 128 NHL games.
"
