Since the day they were drafted first and second overall in 2016, Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine have been automatically linked as a budding rivalry in the NHL.
The two lived up to all the hype in their rookie seasons. Matthews led the Toronto Maple Leafs to the playoffs behind his 40 goals, before winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. Despite missing some time due to injury, Laine managed to bag 36 goals in 73 games as the Winnipeg Jets just missed the post-season by two points.
The two will look to build off that success when they kick off their sophomore seasons on Wednesday night as the Leafs and Jets meet in Winnipeg (Sportsnet, 7:00 p.m. ET).
Which begs the question …