Leafs’ Big 3 connect on and off the ice
TORONTO John Tavares has reaped the rewards of playing alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in his first season with the Maple Leafs.
Getting to know Toronto’s talented 21-year-olds off the ice hasn’t hurt, either.
“They ’re both very different, but very driven,” Tavares said earlier this week. “Great people and fun to be around. They bring a lot of energy to the group.
“For a guy like me who’s a little bit too serious sometimes, it helps me out,” the 28-year-old added with a slight grin. “They’re extremely talented hockey players, and you can see how bad they want to be great.”
That desire to be great is something Tavares knows a lot about. In the hockey spotlight since the age of 14, he’s now in his 10th NHL season and first with Toronto after signing a big-money deal on the opening day of free agency on July 1.
Excellent in his own right so far with the Leafs, Tavares has benefited from Marner’s setups as the slick winger’s centre at 5 on 5. He’s also been on the receiving end of both players’ passes on Toronto’s potent power play, including from Matthews for a tap-in goal to open the scoring in Wednesday’s 5-3 home victory over the San Jose Sharks.
Tavares knew Matthews and Marner were good. He just didn’t know how good.
“You can just see their skill sets on a daily basis, just how great they are at playing the game and their understanding of their capabilities, and bringing it consistently night in and night out,” said Tavares”
Marner is third in NHL scoring with 36 points and second in assists with 30, while Matthews has 12 goals and seven assists despite missing 14 of Toronto’s 26 games with a left shoulder injury.
While Tavares may not have initially understood everything the pair brought to the table, the two youngsters didn’t know the true value of the veteran either.
“He’s exceeded them,” Matthews said of his expectations for Tavares. “Playing against him, you know how hard he competes. Being around him, it’s been good for us just like it’s been good for him. We all bring different things.
“Me, Mitch, a lot of the younger guys on the team joke around and have fun. He’s a pretty serious guy. It’s kind of nice to see that side of him opening up.”