TORONTO - Auston Matthews answered a call he probably knew was coming.

His friend and teammate was on the line.

Matthews, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, grew up alongside Mitch Marner in the NHL. The paired endured a lot together — sky-high expectations, regular-season success and plenty of playoff heartbreak.

Marner was about to tell his linemate their time together was up.

"Those are always tough conversations to have," Matthews said as the Leafs opened training camp Wednesday. "At the end of the day, he made his decision."

After nine seasons with the team he cheered on as a kid — the one that picked him No. 4 overall at the 2015 draft — Marner would be moving on.

The star winger's slow march out the door finally crystallized in late June with unrestricted free agency looming

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