Auston Matthews spotted alongside 2 NHL stars at the UFC.

We are in the heart of the National Hockey League's offseason and that means that players in the NHL finally get a chance to unwind a little after a grueling 82 game regular season, as well as additional playoff games for half the teams in the league.

Among those using the opportunity to soak in a little fun is Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews, who on Friday night gave some of his fans a glimpse into the fun he has had this summer. Matthews took to Instagram to share a series of photos from his offseason, one of which stood out above the rest in my eyes.

In one of the many photos shared by Matthews, the Leafs forward can be seen at an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event hanging alongside his agent, Judd Moldaver of Wasserman, retired NHL star and former Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Joe Thornton, and fellow active NHL star Clayton Keller, now of the Utah Hockey Club.

Keller's inclusion in the photo is certainly an interesting one and has led some to wonder if Matthews might be doing a little offseason networking with an eye on the future. This could of course simply be a matter of a pair of friends hanging out, Matthews is from Arizona and Keller spent the first 8 seasons of his NHL career playing for the Arizona Coyotes, but it did raise some eyebrows.

Did I mention that Matthews is set to begin the first year of his new 4 year contract this season? One that will, coincidently I'm sure, expire at the same time that Keller's 8 year deal with the Utah Hockey Club is set to come to an end.

You can see the photo in question and many more in the Instagram post below: