"It's Just Nonsense!": Leafs' Auston Matthews Opens Up On His Doubters

In case you hadn't noticed, Auston Matthews is off to a fairly nice start to the new season. With two hat tricks in two games, he's only the second player to do that in 100 years. And yes, he also took care of business in the offseason, signing an extension (through 2028) with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But that didn't happen until late August. 

That delay caused many around Leafs Nation to question whether he wanted to re-sign with Toronto. To all of those doubters, Matthews now says he had a good laugh about it all, as he told Mike Zeisberger of nhl.com:

When I see stuff like some of the speculation this summer, I get a pretty good chuckle out of it because it's just nonsense, to be honest with you.  

Look, if you didn't hear it from me, and you didn't hear it from my family, and you didn't hear it from my agent, then what are we talking about here? It's just like lies, just like people making stuff up. At this point, I find it comedic more than anything... I just found it funny.

The five-time 40-goal scorer reiterated that he was always planning to re-sign and that he absolutely loves everything about being a Maple Leaf. 

It was my mindset to come back all along. I felt I've been pretty clear about that. I really enjoy playing here, and I love the core guys I've been playing with going back to my early days here. And the way the staff treats us is amazing. I've kind of repeated these things, they're all true, and it means a lot to me to be here.

No doubt, in 2028, when the four-year extension is set to expire, he'll be facing the same speculation all over again. Depending on what happens in Leaf Land between now and then, the question is, will he still be laughing? 

So far, at least, with six goals in two games for the franchise player, there's a smile on every Leaf fan's face.

Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports