Two days after another year came to yet another disappointing end for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the season postmortems are already well underway.

Outside of added depth pieces, two of the biggest changes this season were the hiring of Craig Berube as head coach, and John Tavares handing over the captaincy to fellow centreman Auston Matthews. And while the latter gesture was seen as largely symbolic, it was nonetheless a key moment representing a changing of the guards, with Tavares accepting a demotion in favour of lifting Matthews to a more prominent leadership role.

In the aftermath of the season’s end, Matthews’ leadership is already being questioned, especially considering the American struggled to generate offence for most of the second round series against the Florida Panthers, with only one point over the final four games. But at Tuesday morning’s year end press conference, the Maple Leafs had nothing but good things to say about Matthews’ rookie year as captain. Veteran blueliner Morgan Rielly in particular offered some insight into the side of him the fans and media don’t know.

“I would say he’s different than what you guys see, but I also think that he has the right to do that,” Rielly said. “I don’t think he has to be everything he is to us when he’s standing here, I think he has the right to that. He’s an incredible person. Everyone cares about him and he cares about everyone, it’s hard to describe, he’s a great leader.”

Having handed Matthews the captaincy this year, Tavares was brief in his comments, calling him a “great leader” who will continue to grow through experience. Another longtime teammate in Mitch Marner dug into that growth he saw from Matthews’ leadership tracing back a few seasons.

“His leadership the last couple of years has really just developed in such a great way,” Marner said. “The captaincy didn’t change who he was in this locker room, who he was on the ice, who he was in the city. He’s still the exact same person, and that’s something you really appreciate, nothing ever went to his head. He took such responsibility and took everything on himself very hard, as we all do.”

17 years into his own NHL career, veteran forward Max Pacioretty spoke about what he saw in Matthews’ work ethic all year and the appreciation he gained for Toronto’s top talent.

“I think he’s due for a vacation with how much hockey he’s played and how hard he’s worked,” Pacioretty said. “Another guy who doesn’t neglect his end of the ice to try and create no matter what the narrative is out there and what the expectations are … I have a whole new appreciation of superstardom after watching these guys go about their business day in and day out. There’s no shortcuts to being a superstar, these guys put in the work every single day.”

Berube’s first year at the helm of the team coincided with Matthews’ first as captain, the difference of course being Berube’s years of coaching experience with other teams. Observing him from behind the bench, he spoke about the person he saw beyond the player.

“Great coaching him,” Berube said. “Obviously, coaching a guy with that much ability, but the person is even more important for me. Great character, great personality, really enjoyed being around him. I thought his leadership improved as the year went on. Not only on the ice but off the ice.”

Big roster changes are expected for the Maple Leafs this offseason, with Mitch Marner and John Tavares set to be part of a deep free agent pool across the league this summer, and a rising cap allowing Toronto more flexibility. Matthews will look to get healthy following an injury suffered in training camp and when he returns as captain next year, he’ll play a big role in leading the new era of this team as they look to come back stronger next year.