BUFFALO — Auston Matthews has no illusions of the damage he plans to inflict on opponents once he gets to the National Hockey League.
“I think I can definitely be a No. 1 centreman, a franchise centreman in the NHL,” Matthews said on Friday at the NHL scouting combine at the HarborCenter as he was surrounded by reporters.
“Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Toews — those are two guys I really like to watch. I admire just the way they compete, they are leaders, they win. Two Stanley Cups each, two guys I look up to.”
Matthews, of course, having been born on Sept.