Check out Leafs’ secret jam band with Matthews, Dermott and Leafs players

In his latest column for The Athletic, Toronto Maple Leafs insider Joshua Kloke goes in depth with some of the team’s youngest players… but not how you might think. No Kloke isn’t breaking down game footage or speculating on contract extensions for players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner… no he’s hanging out at Travis Dermott’s apartment for an impromptu jam session.

You see, a revolving cast of players have taken to music as a way to unwind off the ice with Dermott playing guitar, Justin Holl taking vocal duties and Matthews keeping time on the drums. 

Check out some of these quotes from Kloke’s column:

Holl, on keyboards and vocals, and Dermott, on acoustic guitar, are the de facto band leaders and have lofty expectations for anyone who enters the apartment. Johnsson plays acoustic guitar. The unnamed band is also slowly working goaltender Garret Sparks into the mix. Sparks mixes his own music on his computer with Virtual DJ.

Now that the Leafs best player has returned from a shoulder injury, the band will begin auditioning Auston Matthews to tie the whole thing together as their drummer. Matthews recently acquired a drum set for the express purpose of joining this band.

“I can’t wait. I hope I’m good enough,” Matthews said.

Matthews was impressed when Holl performed his rendition of The Weeknd’s “Reminder” on his mini-piano on a recent road trip.

“It’s actually really good,” said Matthews, raising his eyelids in approval. “I didn’t know he was that far advanced.”

Still, the undisputed face of the franchise is nervous about his chances in making the band, as it were.

“I might not last,” said Matthews.

Holl is optimistic.

“We’ve got our band now,” said Holl, nodding his head and narrowing his eyes with the look of a man who could have served as an extra on Dazed and Confused.

As for Leafs rookie Andreas Johnsson… well the band still isn’t sure what to do with him…

“I’ve been searching around to find something that fits for my personality,” said Johnsson, who would still like to play with the band on a more regular basis.

“We were thinking, with his personality, we might get the triangle going,” said Dermott, as both players double over with laughter. “Something really simple.”

No Soundcloud page yet… but we can’t wait to hear the first single from Dermott’s downtown Toronto apartment.