LAS VEGAS — Auston Matthews, a fashion aficionado, is pretty chill Wednesday afternoon while sitting back in a comfy chair in a 15th-floor suite at the Encore.



The Maple Leafs star is in town for the NHL Awards – not as a finalist, but as the new cover boy for EA Sports NHL 20 video game. In a few hours, he’d trade his T-shirt, shorts and flip flops for a slick suit for the announcement on stage at the Mandalay-based event.



But Matthews, 21, who has spent most of his offseason in his hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz, spent a few minutes with The Athletic to talk about his new venture, the sting of watching the team that eliminated the Leafs reach the Stanley Cup final, Mitch Marner’s contract talks and the Raptors’ NBA title.



I’m sure you’ve played EA NHL games growing up, what’s it like to be on the cover?



That’s pretty special. You look at the long list of guys who have been on the cover in the...