The duo of Matthews and Nazem Kadri at the time was one of the better in the league. Add in a third-line pivot in Tyler Bozak and the Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the deepest teams down the middle.
Then, when others could not believe Toronto could add to that studded center group, they swapped out Bozak and replaced him with John Tavares.
Matthews – Tavares – Kadri down the middle downright scared opponents. That trio was one of the best, if not the best, center groups in the entire league, with the potential to challenge for ‘greatest of all time’ status.