BUFFALO — Marc Crawford has had the chance to get an up close and personal look at a lot of the NHL’s greatest players from his perch behind the bench.
He’s certain he’s seen the next one in Auston Matthews.
The months of anticipation will come to an end Friday night here at the First Niagara Center when the Toronto Maple Leafs make it official and select the 18-year-old, 6-foot-2, 220-pound centre, who grew up in the hockey hotbed of Arizona, with the No. 1 selection in the NHL entry draft.
There aren’t many in the NHL who know Matthews better than the Senators’ newly-appointed associate coach because the youngster played for Crawford last season with the Zurich men in the Swiss national league.