Rielly: Babcock spoke more to Matthews than me at worlds
After returning home from his gold-medal win at the IIHF World Championship in Russia, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly joined Hockey Central, where he shared that head coach Mike Babcock may have been more interested in a possible future player than one of his current stars:
"[Mike Babcock] spent more time talking to him than he did talking to me." –Morgan Rielly on Auston Matthews at worlds (HC @ Noon)
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) May 25, 2016
Matthews - widely expected to be selected with the No. 1 pick by the Maple Leafs at June's draft - was outstanding in the tournament, leading the American team with six goals and three assists in 10 games.
Rielly called the 18-year-old a "smart player" while admitting he was "way bigger than I thought." Across two tournament losses vs. Canada, Matthews finished with six shots, including his team's first goal in a 4-3 semifinal loss.
Babcock was in Russia to watch both the young center as well as another option for the team's No. 1 pick - Patrik Laine of Finland, who was named Tournament MVP.