TORONTO

In reality, Shawn Matthias didn’t need the sales pitch at all, but a summer meeting with Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock certainly helped settle the free agent’s mind.

There was the opportunity to play for his home-town team. There was the chance to improve his game under one of the more renowned coaches in hockey and there was the chance to be part of a future billed with big talk.

In other words, a nice trifecta opportunity for a player looking to take advantage of the prime years of his career.

“Toronto was already on my list of teams to go to, but talking to (Babcock) and just seeing how much he wants to win ... that’s what it’s all about,” the big forward said of his summer free-agent choice. “We talked for a while. He told me why he made his decision to come to Toronto.”

Rest assured it will be a script Babcock will reprise in future summers as the team eventually hopes it will become an attractive destination for free agents, regardless of status. Matthias wasn’t the biggest name out there by any means, but the Mississauga-raised player was keen on becoming a Leaf.

“I don’t know if it was a pitch,” Babcock said of the pre-July 1 meeting with Matthias. “He’s a Toronto kid who wants to play for the Maple Leafs. I think there’s going to be a lot of that going around over time.

“We just feel he is a big body who can really skate. We’ve got to find a way for him to be important on the team. He’s a big guy, he skates and he should able to help some guys.”

Like many among the forward group still with the team, where Matthias lands when the final roster is set is still to be determined. For Saturday night’s pre-season contest against the Montreal Canadiens, he was pegged to be on a line with Brad Boyes and Peter Holland. Earlier in camp, he skated with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul.

Matthias is coming off a career best 18-goal season with the Vancouver Canucks and at age 27, wants to build on that success. At 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, he is the biggest forward in Leafs camp, a large, versatile body that can fit in different spots.

“Every year you want to be a better player, a more rounded player,” Matthias said. “For me, I think (Babcock) gets the best out of his players. He’s done that with the teams he’s had in the past.

“He’s won everywhere. You see that as a player and you want to get better every year. Most people would agree that he’s the best coach to help a player get to the next level. It’s challenging, but it’s a challenge that I was looking for.”

As a veteran NHLer — and one who was cocooned in Florida for parts of six seasons — Matthias is well aware of the side show element of playing in Toronto. Many a player has succumbed to it in the past (see Clarkson, David) and many may in the future.

But Matthias seems to have a grasp on the demands and relishes the challenges.

“People who know me know that I’m pretty quiet and that I keep to myself,” Matthias said. “I’m sure I will be more in the spotlight whether I have a good game or bad game. I don’t really let that stuff get to me. Last year in Vancouver I really enjoyed playing in a Canadian market.

What about the appeal of a future in arguably the biggest hockey market of them all?

“I can’t see why this wouldn’t be a place where people want to come. There are great prospects here and it’s a city that really cares about the team. If you are a winning team in this market, there’s nowhere else you would rather want to play.

“I think we all are going to compete for jobs. Whatever role they give us, we’re going to be ready for here. We’ll wear this jersey with a lot of pride, whether it’s a role you have had in the past or not, you have to embrace it.”

EAST COAST WHERE IT'S AT

Shortly after signing with the Maple Leafs in July, forward Shawn Matthias got a chance to sit at the captain’s table.

Literally.

While in Prince Edward Island on a golf vacation with some pals, Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf got wind of it and reached out to Matthias and invited him to spend some time at the defenceman’s oceanfront spread.

“He’s a new guy and he was on the island,” Phaneuf said. “I wanted to meet him away from this. This is work. When you’re out there there’s more down time to spend with people.”

Phaneuf spends his summers in Atlantic Canada with his wife, Elisha Cuthbert. Both like the pace of life and the captain loves entertaining teammates if they are in the area.

“It’s something that I really like to do,” Phaneuf said. “I think it’s great that guys take the time to come here, whether it’s a weekend or even for a day trip. It’s a different environment in the summer when you can work out in the morning and do whatever you want in the afternoon, whether it’s go to the beach or play golf.

“That’s why I go there in the summer. If I’m able to have any of my teammates there, I love doing it.”