TORONTO – The original timeframe was Christmas, but once again Auston Matthews bested expectations.

Here we are with a couple games still to go before the NHL’s holiday break and already the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie has established himself as the “dominant centre” head coach Mike Babcock predicted he’d soon be.

What else to conclude after an eight-shot-producing, one-hand-on-the-stick-scoring, Ryan-Getzlaf-eclipsing performance?

“I thought he was great,” said Babcock. “I thought he was our best player.”

“He’s very comfortable in a lot of situations at a very early age,” observed Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. “That usually bodes well for a long career.”

With the Leafs down centres Tyler Bozak and Ben Smith because of injury on Monday, the 19-year-old was pressed into action even more than usual. He played a career-high 21:22 and was matched up against Getzlaf’s line for more than half of his minutes at even strength.

He is quite literally the only rookie centre who could handle that assignment because he is the NHL’s only rookie centre now being deployed in a top-six role.

It is here where we can truly measure his value to the Leafs, who boast more depth down the middle than in years past but are still thin in that department when injuries arrive. Against the Ducks, William Nylander was moved over from the wing while Frederik Gauthier was recalled from the American Hockey League and they each experienced some struggles on the defensive side of the puck.

Babcock could have forecasted as much before the opening faceoff.

Young players are expected to struggle in the middle, especially when going against a veteran-laden opponent that throws out Ryan Kesler and Antoine Vermette for the shifts where Getzlaf is taking a breather.

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What isn’t usually expected is seeing a rookie drive 55 per cent of even-strength shots attempts under those circumstances. Once again, Matthews was a beast at both ends of the ice.

“He didn’t disappoint,” said Carlyle. “He’s a pretty dynamic young player. The thing that I noticed about him is the strength that he has around the puck – nobody seems to be able to bull the puck away from him. He can make moves inside (and) outside on people and he’s only 19 years old.

“And I’m going: ‘That kid’s got a bright future.”

Once the initial disappointment of an undisciplined 3-2 loss against Anaheim rubs off, that should provide plenty of solace for those with an emotional investment in the Leafs.

If anything, Matthews has proven to be even better than advertised through 31 NHL games. His 15 goals put him on pace to score 40 – a mark fellow rookie Patrik Laine is projected to eclipse – and he’s experienced no discernible struggles in adjusting to hockey at its highest level.

His off-nights have been serviceable. His on-nights remind you that Matthews was more than worthy of the hype that accompanied his No. 1 selection.

A second-period goal against John Gibson will immediately find a place on his personal highlights collection.

Gripping his stick with only his right hand, Matthews managed to angle the blade in a way where he redirected a Nikita Zaitsev point shot home that was otherwise heading wide. The creativity involved was stunning.

“It just shows his all-around game,” said linemate Zach Hyman. “He’s not just a guy who shoots the puck in the net. He’s around the net, he’s in front of the net, he’s tipping pucks.

“A pretty good tip.”

When the Leafs were chasing the tying goal in the third period, Matthews found himself playing beside good pal Mitchell Marner as well. Those two carpool to the rink, but have rarely seen even-strength minutes together.

However, Babcock preferred the look he had with Connor Brown skating on his right side.

“As long as you play him with competitive guys, he’s good,” Babcock said of Matthews. “I thought he really stepped up tonight and he was solid.”

There is still some room for improvement, including in the faceoff dot. The Ducks had their way with the Leafs in general in that area – going 42-21 overall – and saw Cam Fowler pot the winner on a set piece three seconds into a power play after Kesler beat Gauthier on the draw.

The smart money would be on Matthews making huge strides in that aspect of the game, especially since Babcock already has incentive to start using him more high leverage situations.

There’s a strong argument to be made that No. 34 is already Toronto’s most effective player.

We all expected that to happen in due time. Few were predicting it would be so soon.