When Auston Matthews was drafted first overall and became a Toronto Maple Leaf, the expectations he faced in hockey-mad Toronto seemed unreasonable. Through the first quarter of the season, however, Matthews has not only met those expectations, but in many ways has exceeded them.
Part of the issue is that the media is often guilty of building up the drama of the draft for the purpose of driving ratings and in so doing accords an inflated importance to many young players. For Matthews, this could indeed have been the case, but instead, with the quarter pole of the NHL's season now squarely in the rearview mirror, a picture of a complete player has emerged.