What Auston Matthews Sees in New Maple Leaf Sergei Bobrovsky

There are many ways to talk about Sergei Bobrovsky joining the Toronto Maple Leafs. You can talk about the contract. You can talk about his two Stanley Cups with Florida. You can talk about his disappointing 2025-26 season. But Auston Matthews gave us another way to look at it this week.

Matthews talked about what it’s like having Bobrovsky as a teammate, and he sounded genuinely excited to have him. “Having Bob, it’s an absolute treat,” Matthews said. He talked about Bobrovsky’s professionalism, the stories about him around the league, the way he takes care of himself and, perhaps most importantly, his focus.

That last part caught my attention.

Matthews Seems to Really Value What Bobrovsky Brings.

Matthews has been around the NHL long enough that he doesn't need much instruction about what it takes to prepare for a season. He's the Maple Leafs’ captain and has been one of the league's best players for years. So when he talks about being impressed by another veteran's preparation, I think it's worth listening to.

Bobrovsky is 37 years old. He's played a lot of hockey. He's been through Stanley Cup runs, bad seasons, pressure, criticism and pretty much everything else an NHL player can experience. And now he's walking into Toronto with all of that behind him. Maybe that's part of what Matthews finds so interesting.

The Maple Leafs have added plenty of new players this offseason, but Bobrovsky brings something different. He brings a history. He has been in those big games. He knows what a dressing room feels like when everybody is watching. He knows what happens when things go wrong in the playoffs.

Matthews doesn't have to learn those things from a book. He can learn them just by watching.

This Could Be Bigger Than What Bobrovsky Does in the Net.

The obvious question is whether Bobrovsky can still play like the goalie Toronto believes he can. That's going to matter a lot. But another question might be almost as interesting. What happens when a player with that much experience starts talking to a player like Matthews?

Bobrovsky isn't coming to Toronto as some young goalie trying to establish himself. He's coming in as a veteran who has already won at the highest level. And Matthews seems genuinely happy about that. The Maple Leafs have spent a lot of time this summer trying to change this team’s personality. New management. New coaching. New players. A different approach.

Maybe Bobrovsky is part of that change in a way that won't show up on the scoresheet. Matthews got his first preseason game under his belt Saturday after knee surgery, and he played 25:45. That's plenty of hockey for a player just getting back into things.

There Was More Going on for the Maple Leafs than What Happened on the Ice.

But perhaps the most interesting thing Matthews did wasn't on the ice. It was telling everybody how happy he is that Bobrovsky is on his side. Sometimes a new teammate gives you goals or saves. Sometimes he gives you a different way of looking at the game.

I have to admit that I will be watching that part, too.