when he's questioned about challenging these conventions, he cites knowing who he is and what he likes (i.e women), and that he doesn't feel a need to conform to other's expectations. you may think that would translate to some progressive relationship stances, but toxic yaoi enjoyers don't worry...he is on tiktok reposting videos like these:

all of this to say he wants what he wants when he wants it, and doesn't care what opinion people have of that. actually probably enjoys the backlash. he sees himself as a Free Thinker, loves to be the center of attention, and needs all of his desires to be met with an unwillingness to compromise about it. I think he's really into having the upper hand, and openly enjoys when admiration for him translates to some tangible power that lets him call the shots.

matas (21) has a very different relationship to confidence. he was initially projected to be a top 5 pick (actually supposed to go #1) and slid to 12, which led to him being chosen by his hometown team so his relationship to chicago is extra special (also he cried at his draft. it was very cute). he likes all of his own ig posts and loves to comment on & repost matas fanedits, and it's obvious he occasionally provides interview bites just for editors (ex. jumping in on the bears "it's chicago" trend). you can even spot him in local rapper music videos, so being able to clique up with other chicago superstars is right up his alley.

in terms of dynamics, matas is someone who loves to be included, wants to be chosen and loved! in their rookie showcase, jared mccain (known for being the zesty hooper) was flirting with him and matas reacted like a suspicious cat, almost like he couldn't tell if he Was the joke or in on the joke? and then once it was clear he was Part of it all, he leaned into it hard, loveddd buddying up with jared and rookie bonding. he's also very free with his "I love you"s, and generally reads like a very earnest and sillyhappy guy, but he is so so eager to prove himself as worth the investment. a major part of this is the controversy regarding his relationship with his coach; the relevant character note here is that he's no stranger to trying very hard to be good for a mean coach (see more on this):

it's no secret that when it comes to other sports, connor (20) is really just a huge fan. he's the baby of the group, and the least integrated despite playing in chicago the longest. local beats have left connor out of the question when asking matas and PCA about the the group (likely because hockey has the least clout of the major 4), and both matas and PCA name dropped him in their responses to reaffirm he's part of the group. even pre-polycule, every time connor was asked about the NFL or NBA, he absolutely lit up (ex. my friends and I spend hours arguing about basketball, ig lives showing his first hints of personality discussing fantasy football, how awkward he looked in the wemby video in the same way he used to get around nhl stars like crosby and natemac).

TLDR

the way I see this play out is caleb dictates their interactions, with matas and connor happy to go along with it (matas because he wants to be good for coach, connor because he's a bit of a groupie, both because they love attention and praise). I think matas, who wants to be part of something so badly, would need a little more affirmation & to be talked into the situation, whereas connor would be more eager to impress. like, actually very easy to take advantage of, especially coming from hockey culture where hierarchy is everything and everything is for the boys. I can see connor going along with anything, as the youngest with the least clout and the most interest in the other guys, and I think caleb would immediately see that too.

it would kind of have to start as a caleb/connor thing. caleb (who does not care about boundaries, no problem taking initiative, just a little more experience than everyone else) would have no problem getting connor alone one night and bringing connor's hand over his dick like So, have you ever...? and connor would be kind of nervous but have to admit, well... yeah actually, like not that much, just sometimes in juniors. like the bus rides were really long. and the seniors sometimes...I mean yeah I can do that for you. like, right now? okay umm haha sure. and it would be easy to escalate, connor letting caleb grope his thighs like, Man your quads are huge, let me see your legs, yeah why don't you just take off your shorts. pull connors legs into his lap like did you do this too? did someone do this to you? hockey players are kind of gay huh haha. and connor would be like no it wasn't like that! which caleb would maybe not like. he'd want connor to admit it, would want it to be a little embarrassing, Like no worries man I can just go if this is weird to you. and connor would be like Wait, it's alright you can do...that. whatever. and caleb would be like Cool, I really like hanging out with you, it would be a shame if we had to stop chilling, while he's spreading connor open. and connor, still a little starstruck, still too impressed by the breadth of caleb, would also hate to stop hanging out.

and the next time they're all together, maybe sitting on caleb's couch, he would turn to matas like Wanna see something crazy? and push connor down onto his knees. matas would be skittish, feel like he's being made fun of or pranked until connor's looking up at him, big wet eyes with caleb's hand on the back of his head keeping him down. matas would be nervous like.. I'm not gay and caleb would be like None of us are gay. Also do you have a problem with gay people? because he knows matas is a little too genuine, a little too sincere to see what caleb's doing, and it would be nothing after that for caleb to talk them into different positions, to put on a show for him and PCA, who's watching this go down because it's actually hilarious seeing matas/connor get bullied a bit. PCA and caleb would laugh about all of it a lot in their private chat.

I was listening to a chicago podcast talk about how wonderful it must be for bedard to have access to a guy like caleb because he can't rely on a nazar or foligno to understand having a franchise on their shoulders. with the polycule they're bearing the same burden, even the same city. and I agree caleb would slide into a mentor role very easily! but less like "you should probably get a sports psychologist" and more like "you can nut if you want but you're not gonna stop fucking him until I say you can" <3

disclaimer: I wrote PCA mostly out of this because honestly idc about baseball but in my mind he mostly just finds the situation funny and also maybe hits connor up sometimes for some quick head because he knows connors good for it but PCA closes his eyes and imagines the ig model he's talking to the whole time.