Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews celebrates his goal with teammates William Nylander and Mitch Marner during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, in Toronto, on Oct. 21, 2024.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Auston Matthews spends a lot of time with Mitch Marner and William Nylander.
The trio of Maple Leafs grew up together on and off the ice as they criss-crossed the continent. Their common goal is to help an Original Six franchise with a long Stanley Cup drought finally break through.
Matthews and Marner have largely played on the same line for Toronto in recent seasons. Nylander sometimes gets thrown in the mix when the team needs an offensive jolt. The star forwards are all key components…