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“I like a lot of them, they’re pretty clever, they come up with some good stuff,” Matthews said.

Then there are some signs that poke fun at the Leafs star and his scoring flair.

“Some guy made one, it was in Columbus, that said ‘Hot Dogs Are A Sandwich’ or something like that,” chuckled Matthews. “I thought that was a pretty good one. I was injured, but I saw it on Twitter the next day.”

ROCK ON

The Leafs confirmed on Tuesday what Mike Babcock let slip in Niagara Falls last month, that they are going to St. John’s, Nfld., to open camp in 2019. They will start three days of practice on Sept. 13 and play the Ottawa Senators at Mile One Centre on Sept. 17 to begin their pre-season schedule.

The visit, in conjunction with the Leafs’ new ECHL affiliate, the Newfoundland Growlers, will have the same open practices, community events and Alumni game as in other cities that have hosted camp. The planned trip to St. John’s in 2001 was curtailed by the fallout of 9/11 when Mile One became a shelter for displaced airline passengers.

GOAT TRACKS

Babcock still likes what he’s getting from fourth-line centre Frederik Gauthier, even though he doesn’t get a lot of ice time.

“I think the Goat has always been better in the NHL than in the minors. Down there, you want him to do more. Here, we just want him to do what he’s doing. He’s big, he’s on the defensive side of the puck.

“In our situation, we have three centres who want a lot of ice. I’d like to have Matty and Johnny between 18 and 19 (minutes), Nazem at 16 and that doesn’t leave a ton of cake for you. So you have to do your work quickly and efficiently.”

LOOSE LEAFS

It still seems that restricted free agent William Nylander will sign rather than put the Leafs in a situation to trade him, but it still might take a few more days to settle … In the past couple of days, Mats Sundin made a rare trip to Toronto to receive the NHLPA Alumni Man Of The Year Award for himself and another former Swedish Leaf, Borje Salming. On his way home, he was to stop in Montreal on Tuesday withTie Domi to see son Max play for the Habs, wearing his No. 13. Also, ex-LeafEd Olczyk received the Alumni’s Ace Bailey Award of Courage for his battle against colon cancer.