The Toronto Maple Leafs have made the biggest splash this offseason with the addition of John Tavares and it was a move that had both Maple Leafs players and fans extremely excited about the upcoming season.
Since the move took place on July 1, just about every player was in the middle of their vacation so most of them weren’t available for comments on the move. On Thursday night members of the Maple Leafs, as well as Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk, got together in Toronto for Mitch Marner’s inaugural Marner All-Star Invitational.
One player who was in attendance for the event was Auston Matthews, who talked about the role he played in helping the team land Tavares and what it means to have a player of his caliber join the organization.
Matthews didn’t have to do too much to persuade Tavares to sign with his hometown team, as the Mississauga, Ontario native made it clear it was something he’s wanted to do since he was a kid with his post on July 1.
Since it was the media’s first chance to talk to Matthews since the signing, they also asked him what his offseason meeting with Mike Babcock was about and what the team’s plan is in terms of naming a captain going forward, which he didn’t seem too concerned about.
It should be an exciting season for Leafs fans.