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After the departure of his longtime teammate Mitch Marner, who joined the Vegas Golden Knights, Auston Matthews, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, broke his silence. The Leafs center made his first public remarks during the Hockey Night in Brampton charity event on Wednesday, recognizing how important Marner was to him and to the team.
“We’ll obviously miss him. He’s a great friend, a great teammate,” Matthews said. He added that Marner’s departure is “part of the business side of it, that’s tough,” but emphasized that he wishes him nothing but the best in this new chapter.
“It’s kind of the business side of it, that’s tough,” he said. “But obviously wish him the best.”
Matthews and Marner entered the NHL one year apart: Marner was selected fourth overall in the 2015 draft, and Matthews was taken first overall in 2016. Both debuted in the 2016–17 season, earning All-Rookie honors while helping Toronto snap a three-year playoff drought. From there, the duo became the driving force of the Leafs’ offense, guiding the club to nine straight postseason appearances, three 50-win seasons, and multiple All-Star selections.
Despite their regular-season success, the team struggled in the playoffs. During the Matthews-Marner era, Toronto reached the second round only twice and was unable to advance further.
Those postseason frustrations ultimately led to the decision to move Marner this summer in a sign-and-trade deal with Vegas. The Golden Knights quickly secured him with an eight-year, $96 million extension, adding one of the league’s most dynamic forwards to their roster.
Matthews, however, expressed optimism about Toronto’s future.
“Feeling good, a lot of changes, but feeling excited about the guys we brought in and obviously excited about the guys that we have,” said the 27-year-old center.
He voiced confidence in the current roster and in several players being ready to take the next step.
One of those players is Matthew Knies, who is coming off a career-best season with 58 points. Matthews praised the 22-year-old’s development and highlighted that his invitation to USA Hockey’s Olympic orientation camp was well deserved.
“I mean, he's a great player and still just coming into his own and is only going to get better, so I know he's really looking forward to the opportunity obviously,” Matthews said, according to Sportsnet.
With training camp and other things, Matthews stressed that his mindset remains the same. He underlined the importance of staying focused and prepared, making it clear that the Leafs’ priority is to remain grounded and take the season one day at a time.
