It's unlikely there will ever be a debut quite like Auston Matthews'.
Four goals. In two periods. In his first NHL game. At 19 years old.
It was remarkable to watch.
Here are three takeaways from one of the most memorable Toronto Maple Leafs season openers ever:
More than 1 game
The haters - and there are and will be many of them - will be out in full force after Matthews' performance, and their battle cry will be: It's one game.
Thing is, it's not.
Matthews spent his draft year playing against men in Switzerland and scored 24 goals in 36 games. He had seven goals in seven games at the World Junior Hockey Championship, and six goals in 10 games at the World Championship. He also scored twice in Toronto in three games at the World Cup.
This is what Matthews does. He scores goals. And if Wednesday night was any indication, he's going to score a lot of them. All of them.
No. 1 center
Somewhere, hopefully, Mats Sundin was watching. The greatest and most productive player in club history, he left Toronto in 2008 but finally has an heir apparent.
Matthews has all the tools to be a legitimate No. 1 center in the NHL, and he proved it again Wednesday.
The kid's first goal - on his first shot - came off a scramble in front of the net.
His second was a stunning display of his talents, both his hands and his skating ability. He dangled around two Senators in the neutral zone by putting the puck through each's legs. Matthews then used his lower-body strength to fight off a check from Mike Hoffman, but lost the puck in the process. No worries, though, all he did was pick two-time Norris Trophy winner and last year's runner-up Erik Karlsson's pocket by lifting his stick and stealing the puck. He wasn't done, obviously. He went to the net and slid the puck on the ice past Craig Anderson from a bad angle. It. Was. Brilliant.
Matthews' third goal was a snipe from the slot, the puck hardly on his stick for a second. And he finished off a sweet saucer pass from William Nylander on a two-on-one to make history.
In other words, Matthews can - and will - beat you any which way.
Matthews' mates
Make no mistake, Matthews was the story in Ottawa - in hockey - on Wednesday. He scored four goals in his first NHL game. Say it out loud. The Arizona product is the future of the Maple Leafs, and for once that future isn't the abyss.
But what was also encouraging was the play of Matthews' teammates, including his rookie linemate Nylander, who assisted on two of No. 34's goals. Zach Hyman, another rookie playing on the line, finished with an assist.
Matthews' performance also overshadowed - and rightfully so - a sublime first NHL game for Mitch Marner. Another 19-year-old, Marner looked as dangerous as Matthews, and both finished with six shots. Marner hit one post, and Matthews had all the puck luck - it was his night, after all.
Marner had a dominant first shift, showing off his offensive talents in tight quarters in the Ottawa zone, while also displaying his backchecking ability. He showed remarkable patience, confidence, and poise with the puck, and clearly possesses above-average vision, as evidenced by a wicked cross-ice pass in the slot to James van Riemsdyk in the second period.
Matthews played 17:37 and Marner 17:36. Matthews finished with a 72.5 percent Corsi For rating, and Marner 63.16 percent. The kids want the puck, and they know what to do with it when they have it.
There's more: Nikita Zaitsev made his NHL debut on the blue line, and swallowed minutes after Matt Hunwick left the game in the first period with an injury. Zaitsev played 23:57, second-most on the club behind Morgan Rielly.
The Maple Leafs are Matthews' team. That's clear already. But it looks like he's going to have some help. And that may be the most encouraging sign, because as good as the kid may end up, he's not scoring four goals every night.
