D.J. Smith recounts experience of coaching Auston Matthews in wake of Maple Leafs’ draft lottery win

The pressure of playing or coaching in a Canadian market, especially one like Toronto, which is an Original Six franchise, is often greater than in other markets around the National Hockey League. When you add in the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, the desire from the fan base to win is sky-high every season.

One coach who knows both the pressure of being a head coach in a Canadian market and the pressure of Toronto is D.J. Smith. Smith was a Maple Leafs assistant head coach from 2015-16 to 2018-19 before being hired as head coach of the Ottawa Senators, where he spent the next four-plus seasons as bench boss.

On Tuesday, Smith joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill to discuss the differences of coaching in a market like Toronto, what gaining the first overall selection does for an organization, and what he sees in Scott Laughton’s game.

“First off, Toronto is a storied franchise, and you are a part of something special. If you ever had the opportunity to win a Stanley Cup here, just think about the legacy it would leave for your family,” Smith said. “I spent nine years in the Canadian market within the NHL. Obviously, Toronto is a little bigger market than Ottawa, but everything is blown up, no matter what happens. There’s a story every day, and I think when I was younger in Ottawa, I listened to some of the noise, but as you get older, you listen less and less.”

Smith knows first-hand the impact a first overall selection can have throughout an organization. Smith was entering his second season the summer the Maple Leafs selected current captain Auston Matthews at number one. The now 28-year-old jumped onto the scene as a 19-year-old rookie, recording 69 points over 82 games, and helped the Maple Leafs return to the playoffs. With the lottery victory on May 5, the Maple Leafs once again have the opportunity to bring in the player they see as the best fit.

“I was there with Babs [Mike Babcock] when we got Auston. We went from being the worst team in the league to being a playoff team the following year. Obviously, there were good players like [Tyler] Bozak, and [Nazem] Kadri, but these guys now in the top five have so much skill, and it’s amazing how quickly they can dominate or change a team,” Smith said. “Whoever the Maple Leafs decide with the first overall pick is going to be a game-changer. These kids are real, and they are coming in and contributing right away.”

At the 2025-26 NHL trade deadline, the Maple Leafs moved Laughton, who was a pending unrestricted free agent, to the Los Angeles Kings, the team of which Smith was coaching. Smith and Laughton’s relationship goes all the way back to their time together in the OHL with the Oshawa Generals, where Laughton wore both the “A” and the “C” on his jersey.

For much of his NHL career, Laughton has been praised as a fourth-line, reliable centre who brings an edge to his game. Following the trade to the Kings, Laughton recorded five goals and three assists across 21 games, just four points off the total he recorded in 43 games with the Maple Leafs in the first half. Smith touched on how he views the 31-year-old forward.

“A guy like Scott Laughton to have him in junior, to have him at the World Championships where we won gold, and then to get him in L.A was great. Just to see where his mindset was as a player, he wasn’t really thinking offensively, and the NHL can do that to you,” Smith said. “I think Scott’s got even more, and I think he played really well for me. I honestly believe Scott Laughton can get himself to 20 goals on a regular basis, and I think he just has to get that mindset back. Sometimes you get to the NHL too young, and you get forced into a certain role, and that’s who you become.”

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