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Getting the cover, which previously has gone to everyone from Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin to Patrick Kane and Connor McDavid, is the surest sign that you’ve made it in the NHL. Yet, while Matthews might be paid like a superstar — his five-year, $58.17-million contract kicks in next season — he knows he hasn’t exactly done what all superstars are supposed to do: Lead their team to a championship.

Heck, he hasn’t even led the Toronto Maple Leafs out of the first round, a fact that he has no problems bringing up.

“The end result is, obviously, to win the Stanley Cup,” he said. “Until that, we really haven’t accomplished much.”

In a one-on-one interview with Postmedia, Matthews talked about everything from the pain of watching the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup final and the pleasure of seeing millions of fans celebrate the Toronto Raptors’ championship to what he expects from William Nylander next season and why Cars 3 will always remind him of Patrick Marleau:

The Raptors just won the NBA championship and celebrated with two-million fans in Toronto. Do you allow yourself to think that in 12 months there could be a Leafs parade?

“Yeah, of course. I think it was really good for us to see that. Just how passionate the city was and how crazy it was during that run. And then you saw the parade with how many people showed up. All the videos of how excited people were, I think that kind of gets us excited as players. It’s extra motivation, just because you see what it’s like and what it could be like if you accomplish that ultimate goal.”