C Auston Matthews - ZSC Lions, NLA (2016 Draft) V

[Not Sure]

We understand that perfectly. We're just telling you two that your opinions are bad and wrong.

You think a kid who hasn't played an NHL game is on par with a top 10 center in the league and have the audacity to tell others that they're opinions are wrong. Let's see how well he can protect the puck on non-international ice where space is limited and defenseman are looking to hit rather then cut down your angle. I understand you wanna pump the kids tires, but stop with the nonsense.

 

[Liminality]

You think a kid who hasn't played an NHL game is on par with a top 10 center in the league and have the audacity to tell others that they're opinions are wrong. Let's see how well he can protect the puck on non-international ice where space is limited and defenseman are looking to hit rather then cut down your angle. I understand you wanna pump the kids tires, but stop with the nonsense.

I don't think people are saying he's better than Kopitar right now, it's just his potential is better than Kopitar's.

He might not even reach that potential in his first couple of years but he's got that potential.

 

[TIGERCOOL]

You think a kid who hasn't played an NHL game is on par with a top 10 center in the league and have the audacity to tell others that they're opinions are wrong.

Stop moving the goalposts. You know just as well as I do that the implication was that Matthews CEILING was a poor man's kopitar, not his current standing. Your agenda in this thread has been clear as day. We get it, you're a Buffalo fan and you're terrified that the Leafs got the better American prospect between Eichel and Matthews. It's ok. Relax. They're both going to be great players.

 

[scan15*]

Stop moving the goalposts. You know just as well as I do that the implication was that Matthews CEILING was a poor man's kopitar, not his current standing. Your agenda in this thread has been clear as day. We get it, you're a Buffalo fan and you're terrified that the Leafs got the better American prospect between Eichel and Matthews. It's ok. Relax. They're both going to be great players.

Can't we all just be excited about the fantastic Buff-Tor rivalry for the next decade. I'm just waiting for Buffalo to draft Alex Nylander with their pick.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Can't we all just be excited about the fantastic Buff-Tor rivalry for the next decade. I'm just waiting for Buffalo to draft Alex Nylander with their pick.

Lots of fire power up front in the next 1-2 years for these teams;

ROR, Kane, Eichel, Reinhart, maybe A.Nyander (although I'd bet Buff takes a LHD)

versus

Matthews, Marner, Nylander, JVR, maybe Stamkos

Then some other lesser lights like Ennis and Kadri

 

[Not Sure]

What's wrong with it is that Matthews is ALREADY a poor man's Kopitar, and he's only going to get better. Matthews is an incredibly rare caliber of prospect. Pretty much as good as any prospect that wasn't considered a generational talent, so think names like Malkin and Forsberg. The Leafs haters who are setting their expectations at anything less than Eichel are going to be crying themselves to sleep next year when he steps in and is immediately a top 10-15 center in the league.

Excellent evaluation.

Matthews is a better skating, better shooting, better passing, better stickhandling, better hockey iq poor man's Kopitar.

These are all true, which is why I don't get people saying he's like Kopi. He's better offensively in every way. Faster, more elusive, better hands, better shot. He also isn't as good defensively as Kopi. Different play styles.

And he's a better skater and he has better hands (IMO his hands are as good as Marner's as far as Leafs prospects go) and I'd be surprised if Matthews is gonna be a top 3 selke nominee year in and year out too

I don't think people are saying he's better than Kopitar right now, it's just his potential is better than Kopitar's.

He might not even reach that potential in his first couple of years but he's got that potential.

I bolded the above comments, those sure don't sound like comments about potential. People are saying he will step in and be close to or better than Kopitar, that's pure bull****, you know it, I know it. If you wanna say he will be better then Kopitar okay I don't have a problem with that, he may be that good, but saying a kid who hasn't played a game in North America this year let alone the NHL will step in and be a top 10 player in the league is absolute nonsense.

Stop moving the goalposts. You know just as well as I do that the implication was that Matthews CEILING was a poor man's kopitar, not his current standing. Your agenda in this thread has been clear as day. We get it, you're a Buffalo fan and you're terrified that the Leafs got the better American prospect between Eichel and Matthews. It's ok. Relax. They're both going to be great players.

Read the above comment, who is moving the goalposts? I called out people saying he will be better than Kopitar straight away, no one was saying anything about ceiling or potential, they were saying he's better already, then when you see just how stupid that sounds you wanna claim you were discussing ceilings. Oh and I assure you I am not terrified of Toronto. Everywhere outside the GTA it has been accepted Buffalo has the better core players up until now, and Matthews still isn't a better prospect then Eichel. You can go post another poll if you like but they are usually pretty lopsided. In fact the only thing that worries me is that Toronto will ruin this kids confidence by ripping him down if he doesn't put up 60 points this season. It terrifies me that the future of the US National teams may come down to whether or not Toronto media decides the kid had a few too many hot dogs because he goes cold at some point, that's what terrifies me.

 

[Semantics]

You think a kid who hasn't played an NHL game is on par with a top 10 center in the league and have the audacity to tell others that they're opinions are wrong. Let's see how well he can protect the puck on non-international ice where space is limited and defenseman are looking to hit rather then cut down your angle. I understand you wanna pump the kids tires, but stop with the nonsense.

He matched or outperformed good NHL players like Scheifele in Russia. Any concerns about his ability to transition to small ice are dumb. Matthews' body and his game is tailor made for the smaller ice. 216 lbs, and if you saw him at the combine, that's all lower body. He's built like a taller version of Crosby. So, if anything, Matthews will have *more* impact on the NHL ice surface than he did at the WC. That's why he was chosen for team NA ahead of good players like Galchenyuk. It's entirely possible that he will be as good as Kopitar by next season.

Even if he doesn't quite get to that level right away, your opinions are wrong. You clearly didn't pay much attention if you don't think he's already a really good player and a legit #1C in the NHL.

 

[Semantics]

He's also more NHL ready than Eichel was and Eichel nearly put up 60 points so already being a poor man's Kopitar isn't that far out of reach

For sure. Eichel was a 2nd line center at world's last year. Matthews was the 1st line center this year. Forget about Kopitar for a minute, Matthews is a rich man's Eichel.

 

[FinnishSniper]

I think he has the potential to be a top 5 centre in the game. Boo Hoo

I think he has the POTENTIAL. But he is not top 10 center AT THE MOMENT.

 

[AD1066]

Yawn. Both Matthews and Eichel will be suiting up for the U.S., and that's good enough for me.

 

[sniper81]

I think he has the POTENTIAL. But he is not top 10 center AT THE MOMENT.

Ok. If you can find where I said he is a top 10 centre in the league at the moment, quote it. I also think Laine has the potential to be a top 5 winger in the game. Does that make me a bad person?

 

[Semantics]

.. the day Team USA played Canada in the semifinals of the IIHF World
Championships in Moscow. Chiarelli settled in to watch the two rivals square off when
he noticed Matthews playing with a confidence that belied his age. He saw a player
who, in the biggest game the Americans played to that point, wanted the puck on his
stick. He was trying to be a difference-maker every shift.

Chiarelli pulled out his phone and sent a message to Team North American co-GM Stan
Bowman.

“I texted Stan and said, ‘Holy cow, we have to talk about this,’†Chiarelli said.
“[Matthews] was gaining confidence every game. You can be a bystander and make a play
once a period. He was making plays all the time.â€

and

“We can’t keep this guy off the team,†Chiarelli said. “He was the best player on the
ice against Canada. ... We decided that we had a couple calls after the tournament. We
had to get him on the top list, the learning curve notwithstanding.â€

For anyone who thinks he isn't already an elite player...

 

[TIGERCOOL]

When's the last time you've heard a first overall pick referred to as a "poor man's" anything in their draft year? Even if the comparison was for their current developement level and not their ceiling, it's an oddly passive aggresive statement to make. Did anyone call Ekblad a poor man's pronger, or McDavid a poor man's Bure, or Eichel a poor man's Jeff Carter in their draft years? No. Because we like to get excited about these prospects and imagine the heights they'll reach as fans of the game. It's disheartening that some posters are so insecure that they need to **** on an incredible prospect and try to dampen the enthusiasm of a fanbase that has been in despetate need of some for the last 10+ years. I guess we should take it as a compliment, but it's still kind of sad to watch.

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

When's the last time you've heard a first overall pick referred to as a "poor man's" anything in their draft year? Even if the comparison was for their current development level and not their ceiling, it's an oddly passive aggresive statement to make. Did anyone call Ekblad a poor man's pronger, or McDavid a poor man's Bure, or Eichel a poor man's Jeff Carter in their draft years? No. Because we like to get excited about these prospects and imagine the heights they'll reach as fans of the game. It's disheartening that some posters are so insecure that they need to **** on an incredible prospect and try to dampen the enthusiasm of a fanbase that has been in desperate need of some for the last 10+ years. I guess we should take it as a compliment, but it's still kind of sad to watch.

Strong post. Think you nailed it.

 

[Not Sure]

When's the last time you've heard a first overall pick referred to as a "poor man's" anything in their draft year? Even if the comparison was for their current developement level and not their ceiling, it's an oddly passive aggresive statement to make. Did anyone call Ekblad a poor man's pronger, or McDavid a poor man's Bure, or Eichel a poor man's Jeff Carter in their draft years? No. Because we like to get excited about these prospects and imagine the heights they'll reach as fans of the game. It's disheartening that some posters are so insecure that they need to **** on an incredible prospect and try to dampen the enthusiasm of a fanbase that has been in despetate need of some for the last 10+ years. I guess we should take it as a compliment, but it's still kind of sad to watch.

Actually I agree with that, there was no reason to say he was a "poor mans" anything, he's a great prospect and I fully expect him to be a great player. My point was he hasn't played an NHL game yet so maybe pump the brakes a bit with all the "he's ALREADY as talented as Kopitar" comments.

 

[FinnishSniper]

Ok. If you can find where I said he is a top 10 centre in the league at the moment, quote it. I also think Laine has the potential to be a top 5 winger in the game. Does that make me a bad person?

Oh yea so sorry it was someone else in the thread

 

[34]

Mcdavid had much worse combine numbers, but had a better year.

This is true. McDavid had lower combine #'s than Matthews and Eichel.

 

[Legion34]

Oh yea so sorry it was someone else in the thread

The combine is useless. Save for guys like rielly and galchenyuk who were injured. Good to see how they were doing and how they healed. People who care about bench press and highjump ....... Ugh

 

[93LEAFS]

The combine is useless. Save for guys like rielly and galchenyuk who were injured. Good to see how they were doing and how they healed. People who care about bench press and highjump ....... Ugh

Also good to test guys who have reputations for not working hard or putting in the work (aka Sean Day). Outside of that, it has limited value. The interviews and medical checks are by far the most important part.

 

[Lempo]

Yawn. Both Matthews and Eichel will be suiting up for the U.S., and that's good enough for me.

Not for the World Cup, though.

 

[ijuka]

It seems that Matthews was the best player on ice against Canada in the semi finals according to Chiarelli. Thoughts?

 

[93LEAFS]

It seems that Matthews was the best player on ice against Canada in the semi finals according to Chiarelli. Thoughts?

Probably the best American. He showed up and played a tough game, and scored on that absolute rocket from the point (debatable whether it Larkin). There's a reason alot of Canadians came back talking about how strong and big he was (notably Rielly and Schiefele).

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

It seems that Matthews was the best player on ice against Canada in the semi finals according to Chiarelli. Thoughts?

He was the top US player in the tourney so its hardly surprising Chiarelli feels this way. However it is pretty telling that he became a must have for Team North America after his standout performance throughout..

 

[ijuka]

He was the top US player in the tourney so its hardly surprising Chiarelli feels this way. However it is pretty telling that he became a must have for Team North America after his standout performance throughout..

Indeed, but better than any Canadian is a bigger impression for him to make than I was expecting. I did not personally see that match.


edit: No further elaboration? I was genuinely curious.

 

[TMLife*]

What’s the biggest weakness in Matthews’ game?