Late Saturday night in Montreal, Josh Leivo turned to Morgan Rielly and he said, I think you have to consider putting Auston Matthews in the top three players. In the league, he meant. They mulled it over: Connor McDavid hit 100 points last year. Sidney Crosby is Sidney Crosby.

“But Auston is awesome,” finished Rielly. “And we were talking about, hard to keep him out of (the conversation). And that’s how he feels.”

It’s early. The season is just waking up, rolling over, stretching its legs before putting them on the floor. So much can change, so much will change. But early in this Leafs season every game feels epic in one way or another — a pile of goals, a dramatic finish, whatever it is. And five games in, we’re going to have to get used to Auston Matthews being in the conversation among the very best players in the game.

“I think he’s just grown, and he’s got a year under his belt and he understands how dominant he can be,” said winger Matt Martin. “Not that he wasn’t dominant last year, but he can really dictate games.”

This is a deep team full of young players who can really play, but the Arizona kid is separating himself. Matthews had three points in the opener in Winnipeg, a single assist in the 8-5 win over the Rangers, the overtime game-winner against Chicago after dominating the Blackhawks — he was on for 29 shots attempts for, three against, at even strength, mostly against units anchored by Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. He was quiet against New Jersey, but scored once, and then scored twice in Montreal, including a second overtime winner that left other players agog.

“We did a skills camp in Florida before he got there, and he had been working on things, and he looked like he was better than last year,” said Rielly. “And I was contemplating that in my head: how could you get better? And he did, somehow. His work ethic and what he did in the off-season was better, and he’s not necessarily a lot bigger, but he’s a smoother skater, better with the puck . . . he’s looking good.

“(McDavid’s) X-factor is his speed, and I don’t know how he does that — I know him, we’re friends, and I don’t know how he does it. But we’re at the point now where you have to include Auston in those conversations. When you have those debates on the golf course about who the best players are, you have to include Auston because of what he’s been able to do.”

Forget that he was named the league’s second star of the week. Since Matthews entered the league only Crosby and Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov have more goals. Since the 2004-05 lockout there are four players who have averaged half a goal per game while playing more than a handful of games: Alexander Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, Ilya Kovalchuk (who will soon be known as the last guy Lou Lamoriello gave a giant contract to, before Matthews) and Matthews. Expand it down to 0.49 goals per game and you add Patrik Laine and Crosby. Drop it to 0.46 and you add Evgeni Malkin.

Remember when Matthews was asked if he thought he could catch McDavid, at the World Cup last year? He replied, “I mean, I think you look at it as a healthy competition.” Matthews’ playmaking numbers will catch up with his goals, you’d think. He is being fed tougher assignments and rougher zone starts, and he is devouring them. His shot-attempt rate remains elite. He’s been on the ice for nine even-strength goals for, and one against. He and William Nylander are electric.

“We do different things, but all in all we want to create opportunities for each other, and play on offence,” said Matthews. “That’s where we let our instinct take over.”

Coach Mike Babcock mentioned that he met with Matthews to emphasize some things his 20-year-old centre needed to work on, which was good, because otherwise we might have the kid sainted. And across the room, a reminder: it’s not supposed to be this easy. On Monday, Babcock demoted Mitch Marner to the fourth line. The line of Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk and Marner has been defensively vulnerable, and Babcock said, “Let’s not read too much into this. Their line wasn’t going. So tie goes to the veteran, how’s that? He just happens to be the kid on the line. That’s it.”

Except not every kid is created equal. Matthews doesn’t get demoted; Nylander, who was on the fourth line for a bit last season before becoming Matthews’ killer sidekick, seems above that happening again; Marner, who hasn’t displayed his signature brilliance yet this season, gets dropped from a line that he shouldn’t be too happy to be playing with in the first place.

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“I mean, I don’t think we really have a fourth line,” said Marner. He was asked the message that Babcock is sending, and said, “Just to work harder, I think. And that’s the main thing is just trying to get better as a player.”

He put on a brave face. It can’t be easy, playing in the shadow of a superstar when you’re a star yourself. Hell, Matthews might wind up making as much as Marner and Nylander combined. They’re all growing up together, but some people stand alone.

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