Michel Therrien, fortune teller.
The Montreal Canadiens head coach is predicting big things for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the years to come.
"I believe this is the team of the future," he told reporters Sunday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, at the NHL All-Star festivities in Los Angeles, where Therrien guided the Atlantic Division squad.
The central piece of the Leafs' rebuild, Auston Matthews, was center stage Sunday, scoring his first All-Star goal for Therrien's team in a semifinal loss to the Metropolitan Division.
Therrien's assessment isn't exactly a stretch, considering the wealth of young talent in Toronto including Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Connor Brown, and Zach Hyman.
The Leafs sit one point out of a playoff spot at the All-Star break with three games in hand on the Philadelphia Flyers for the second and final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.
Montreal leads the Atlantic Division with a record of 29-14-7.
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.