Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid have become closer off the ice.
The star centers sometimes skate together in the summer and now have the same agent.
They also have different perspectives on each other's experiences as the face of the NHL.
“I have a lot of respect for him as a player and as a person,” said Matthews, the extremely skilled forward for the Maple Leafs. “He takes on a lot of responsibility with who he is.”
The duo will once again be in the spotlight Saturday when Toronto hosts McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers.
And not only because of their usual fame.
Matthews has scored 57 goals in 67 games as part of his quest to become the first NHL player to reach 70 goals since 1992-93.
McDavid, on the other hand, has 86 assists in 65 games and is on track to reach 100 assists for the first time since 1990-91.
“They’ve been outstanding,” Leafs captain John Tavares said after Friday’s practice. “They’re going to define this generation of players with their skill set and how they’ve impacted the game. They’re changing the game in many ways.”
Tavares has had a front-row seat.
The 33-year-old center, who like Matthews and McDavid was the No. 1 pick in the draft, lost out on the 2014-15 Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer by one point.
Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars won that year with a total of 87, which wouldn’t crack the current top-10 with 3 1/2 weeks still remaining on the schedule.
“It might seem a long time ago,” Tavares said. “It’s really not that long ago.”
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the offensive surge across the league is partly due to rule changes.
“That being said,” he added, “the talent level of players is incredible when we start talking about some of these guys.”
Matthews said those on-ice summer skill sessions with lightning-fast McDavid are beneficial for both players.
“Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses,” said Matthews, who has one of hockey’s best releases with the puck. “His game is very unique, and there are many things that I’m not as good at, especially the way he skates. There’s not really anybody in the world — maybe one other guy — that can skate like him.
“You just try to pick up different elements and try to incorporate them into your own game, and play to your strengths.”
Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny were the last NHL players to reach 70 goals when they each had 76 in 1992-93.
Wayne Gretzky is the most recent player to surpass 100 assists — accomplished 11 times, and is one of only three men to do so — some 33 years ago.
“They’ve done an amazing job,” Tavares said of McDavid and Matthews raising the bar. “How they’ve impacted the game, how dominant they are, the consistency night in and night out.”
The Leafs (39-20-9) enter Saturday firmly in the Atlantic Division’s No. 3 spot, unlikely to move up or down before the regular season’s end.
The Oilers (42-21-4), on the other hand, still aim for first place in the Pacific due to their current 9-1-2 run.
McDavid, however, wasn’t pleased with his team’s last two performances — a 3-2 overtime decision against Montreal and a decisive 8-3 win against Buffalo which involved trailing 2-0 and scoring five goals in the third period.
“Matches that could have ended differently,” the captain of Edmonton commented to the press in Alberta after Thursday’s victory. “Our discussion would have been different.”
Matthews mentioned that his team needs to be prepared for the main stage at Scotiabank Arena.
“One of the top-performing teams in the league,” he said. “Their momentum hasn't really decreased.”
And neither have the main attractions of Saturday's game.
Chasing 50
Oilers' forward Zach Hyman has scored an impressive 48 goals this season and might reach 50 against his former team.
The 31-year-old, who never exceeded 21 goals in his five full seasons with Toronto, joined Edmonton in July 2021.
Hyman achieved 27 and 36 goals during his first two seasons with the Oilers before having a breakout in 2023-24.
“His development has been remarkable,” Tavares remarked. “I don’t think many people expected him to be where he is and about to achieve what he's on the brink of doing.”
Marner's absence
Leafs winger Mitch Marner will be absent this weekend — Toronto will play against Carolina on Sunday — due to a high ankle sprain, which has already caused him to miss five games.
Brodie sits
Once a key player on the blue line, Leafs defenseman T.J. Brodie seems likely to be left out of the lineup for a second consecutive game.
“Brodie is a better player than his recent performance,” Keefe stated. “He has also played better than is generally perceived.”
“I just want him to clear his mind,” the coach added. “He's had a tough time right from the start of training camp.’
