Maple Leafs select Arizona-born Matthews No. 1 in NHL draft

On the heels of the NHL expanding into Las Vegas, the Toronto Maple Leafs are pinning their future on Arizona-born center Auston Matthews.

Amid chants of “Go Leafs, Go!” the 18-year-old from Scottsdale was selected by Toronto with the first pick in the NHL draft Friday night in Buffalo, N.Y. Though the Maple Leafs had kept their decision under wraps since winning the draft lottery in April, Matthews was the expected choice.

NHL Central Scouting ranked the 6-foot-2, 210-pound play-maker as its top draft-eligible project, and he’s also a natural center, a top-line position that’s difficult to fill.

The Maple Leafs have missed the playoffs in 10 of the past 11 years, and spent last season purging high-priced contracts and veteran talent with a focus on rebuilding through youth.

Matthews arrives at a time when the Maple Leafs usher in the 100th year of professional hockey being played in Canada’s largest city.

Winnipeg was set to select second, followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, whose general manager, Jarmo Kekalainen, said he’s considering trading the pick depending upon which two players are taken ahead of it.

Each time Maple Leafs began cheering, rival Sabres fans began booing.

The Stars re-signed defenseman Jordie Benn to a three-year contract, keeping the brother of high-scoring Dallas forward Jamie Benn out of free agency.