Is Matthews underrated on these boards?

[Narow]

So with the current top C poll, its on pick 10 and Matthews wont make it.
the HF community has decided that the kid who leads the league in ES goals and is 2nd in total goals (behind only Kucherov) since becoming an NHLer, isnt one of the top 10 C in this league.

Mackinnon with career highs of 24g/63pts across 5 seasons is apparently better.
Kopitar is apparently so much better defensively that it makes up for the fact Matthews has 33 more goals than him since last year.
Now Barkov who is a fine 2 way player but has never gotten 25g or 6opts is getting strong consideration?

do you think HF boards are voting against him just because he is a leaf? it seems a lot of people jump to the next non leaf option after their guy has been picked

40g/69pts/+2 in 82 games as a rookie
25g/43pts/+23 in 46 games as a sophomore

all this getting less than 18 mins/night and sharing PP time evenly with Bozak

He had 28 goals and 59 points in 66 games in 15/16 season...

Pretty safe to say he can hit 30 goals and 60 points over a full season.

Anyway on to the topic. Perhaps there is some bias against matthews on these boards but he is still very highly regarded from what i have seen. It could also be that we havent seen more than one full season by him and that is why he is regarded not top 10 yet. When it comes to scoring goals he is possible top 1 tho^^

 

[Larcos_Unal]

I'd like to see a little more consistency, it seems he's either invisible or world domination mode game to game. Needs to bring it every game to be elite.

 

[member 262271]

I'd think a lot of people a) hate the leafs and b) are pissed that they won that lottery. Expecting objectivity is an exercise in futility, lets just be happy with the player we have.

 

[BlueBaron]

I think Auston is going to have to be over a point a game over a full season before he gets the recognition some here want. Sure he scores a lot of goals and those of us who watch him play know how good he is defensively but until he is a scoring leading HF posters are going to do everything in their power to keep him down.

Western Canadian fans alone spend a lot of time disparaging our players, our fans and our franchise and sadly they are enabled by the Mods here with double standards. That is just HF. Because there are so many of us HF Mods seem to think we are disposable and can be used like toilet paper. Have you ever noticed how they try to turn any discussion into a Leaf/Matthews bashing thread, even the ones about their own players. Oilers fans of course are leading the charge with a small but devoted core of lunatics who will say anything and everything to slag us. That half these clowns are allowed to keep posted and starting their troll threads pretty much says it all.

Some of it is insecurity, some of it is backlash for the words of our more outlandish fans (of which there are many) and some of it is just reality. I notice Eichel is not a top 10 guy either and he was a point a game last year. It takes time to get people to rethink their preconceived notions of the pecking order unless you win a scoring title.

I know it's a double standard with McDavid but he did have a "shut up, I'm the man" type season last year. Auston is developing a bit slower (as bigger players often do) but soon enough he will get the credit he is due. It is a real shame he got injured this year but I think he will make a splash in the playoffs, that is what he was designed for.

 

[zeke]

The biggest issue with Matthews it that Babs is holding down his minutes, especially on the PP, where all the top scorers really make hay.

Here's where Auston ranks in points per 60 minutes since he joined the league:

Even Strength points per 60min (minimum 500 minutes played)

1.McDavid 2.98 (134gms)
2.Barzal 2.85 (57gms)
3.Marchand 2.80 (119gms)
4.Malkin 2.80 (113gms)
5.Stamkos 2.67 (71gms)
6.Kucherov 2.66 (128gms)
7.Gaudreau 2.60 (126gms)
(Leivo 2.52 (25gms))
8.Scheifele 2.50 (117gms)
9.Matthews 2.49 (128gms)
10.Getzlaf 2.47 (105gms)

Even Strength Primary Points per 60min (i.e. no second assists) (Min 500min)

1.Malkin 2.54 (113gms)
2.McDavid 2.31 (134gms)
3.Matthews 2.25 (128gms)
4.Marchand 2.16 (116gms)
5.Barzal 2.16 (57gms)
6.Gaudreau 2.09 (126gms)
7.Stamkos 2.08 (71gms)
8.Kucherov 2.06 (128gms)
(Leivo 2.01 (25gms))
9.Kane 1.97 (136gms)
10.Carter 1.93 (88gms)


If you think Auston is anything but an elite of the elite offensive player, then yes, you are underrating him.

 

[Ulysses31]

not sure if top 10 or not but would take matthews on team over any center besides mcdavid based on ability/age

 

[HamiltonNHL]

I love his game.
So solid.
I love his responsible D behaviour.

 

[bionic]

Why do people need validation from a bunch of strangers with Leaf envy?
Matthews is great, enjoy!

Agreed. I really can't take what the main boards say about ANY Leaf player seriously. Mathews is a top 5 Center in the league and no one in HF can change that.

 

[IPS]

The biggest issue with Matthews it that Babs is holding down his minutes, especially on the PP, where all the top scorers really make hay.

Here's where Auston ranks in points per 60 minutes since he joined the league:

Even Strength points per 60min (minimum 500 minutes played)

1.McDavid 2.98 (134gms)
2.Barzal 2.85 (57gms)
3.Marchand 2.80 (119gms)
4.Malkin 2.80 (113gms)
5.Stamkos 2.67 (71gms)
6.Kucherov 2.66 (128gms)
7.Gaudreau 2.60 (126gms)
(Leivo 2.52 (25gms))
8.Scheifele 2.50 (117gms)
9.Matthews 2.49 (128gms)
10.Getzlaf 2.47 (105gms)

Even Strength Primary Points per 60min (i.e. no second assists) (Min 500min)

1.Malkin 2.54 (113gms)
2.McDavid 2.31 (134gms)
3.Matthews 2.25 (128gms)
4.Marchand 2.16 (116gms)
5.Barzal 2.16 (57gms)
6.Gaudreau 2.09 (126gms)
7.Stamkos 2.08 (71gms)
8.Kucherov 2.06 (128gms)
(Leivo 2.01 (25gms))
9.Kane 1.97 (136gms)
10.Carter 1.93 (88gms)


If you think Auston is anything but an elite of the elite offensive player, then yes, you are underrating him.

Basically on a per-minute basis, he's up there with the very best in the league. We all know he's deficient on PP time relative to his talents, and since we run that stupid split unit PP strategy, he won't be getting prime PP minutes for awhile. Also, regarding the primary point stat: secondary assists are very hard to come by with your most common linemate seriously lacking finishing ability. There's several obvious and provable factors that are bogging down Matthews' production.

I understand why Wings fans were so vocal about Datsyuk needing to be in the conversation for the best player in the world despite being behind in offensive production, Babcock does no favors for offensive production.


But really, don't listen to the mainboard about anything regarding the Leafs. We were supposed to be 2013-2014 Colorado Avalance 2.0, only made playoffs because of miraculous health and overachieving roster. If we go deep this year, they're not going to have fun dealing with us over there

 

[IBeL34f]

Basically on a per-minute basis, he's up there with the very best in the league. We all know he's deficient on PP time relative to his talents, and since we run that stupid split unit PP strategy, he won't be getting prime PP minutes for awhile. Also, regarding the primary point stat: secondary assists are very hard to come by with your most common linemate seriously lacking finishing ability. There's several obvious and provable factors that are bogging down Matthews' production.

I understand why Wings fans were so vocal about Datsyuk needing to be in the conversation for the best player in the world despite being behind in offensive production, Babcock does no favors for offensive production.


But really, don't listen to the mainboard about anything regarding the Leafs. We were supposed to be 2013-2014 Colorado Avalance 2.0, only made playoffs because of miraculous health and overachieving roster. If we go deep this year, they're not going to have fun dealing with us over there

Wings fans didn't need to be vocal, though - Anyone watching could tell that Pavel Datsyuk was one of the best players (and for a time, arguably the best player) in the world in his prime.

Like you said, pay no attention to the general consensus when it comes to stuff like this. We don't need a coach who's simply focused on getting the highest possible production out of their star players. There's more to it than that, and I'm glad our management group and coaching staff recognize that.

Also, Nylander and Matthews have shown great chemistry together - I wouldn't be worried about Willy's finishing ability, he's 2nd on the team in Points.

 

[Mess]

Matthews on goal scoring alone would be a TOP 5 centre in the NHL at present, however overall at this point he would likely be around where that poll has him in comparison, but he is only 20 right now and so I expect him to climb in time.

 

[BayStreetBully]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/who-is-the-10th-best-centre.2445949/

Needs 15+ votes to be ranked 10th.. go!

Oh no, I think you caused a meltdown on the mains! You literally ruined their weekend with a Matthews victory.

 

[nobody]

Auston Matthews at age 20 is leading his club to B2B postseason appearances. We're currently sitting comfortably as a top 8 team in the entire NHL. We haven't been this high in god knows how long. I could care less what other fans think about Auston and the rest of the kids. For a team that has their two studs (willie/ mitch) going through sophomore slumps and is still climbing in the standings that's an impressive feat.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

At this point, I don't really care. The majority of HF has a bad habit of underrating our players. Yes, Leafs fans can be a bit overzealous some times, but HF swings the pendulum way in the other direction to overcompensate for any perceived homerism by the Leafs fan base. With the way our players lose polls on here, you'd think this team was in the bottom third of the standings.

Whether Matthews is underrated on here is irrelevant. The Polls Board is a joke, second only to the Trade Board, and just squeaking ahead of the main NHL Board. So yes, I'd say he's underrated on these boards, but that's only a symptom of a larger problem regarding HF's attitude towards the Leafs and Leafs fan base.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/who-is-the-10th-best-centre.2445949/

Needs 15+ votes to be ranked 10th.. go!

Honestly we should do this more often. Maybe the same sad trolls will stop making dumb reactionary threads on our players if we just homer vote them to victory

 

[Ziggdiezan]

Considering I got Matthews face tattooed on my back like a Steve-O tattoo.... nah I don't think he is underrated at all.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Honestly we should do this more often. Maybe the same sad trolls will stop making dumb reactionary threads on our players if we just homer vote them to victory

It’s just killing them inside, based on their reactions to their great loss. Leaf Envy is great as a Leafs fan but I hope they don’t take it too severely.

Little known fact. A good chunk of the votes going to Matthews’ main threats are duplicate accounts that never post but only vote for the other guy when voting is close.

 

[Caroline Says ll]

You have to factor in that he is a Leafs prospect, with arguably the most fans who would avoid voting for him based on the team he plays for. As well, the average fan doesn't identify things such as lack of PP TOI, thus don't notice that his point total and production would probably be higher if her was used more traditonally as other top team players are.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Pretty close.

 

[LeafsNation75]

At this point, I don't really care. The majority of HF has a bad habit of underrating our players. Yes, Leafs fans can be a bit overzealous some times, but HF swings the pendulum way in the other direction to overcompensate for any perceived homerism by the Leafs fan base. With the way our players lose polls on here, you'd think this team was in the bottom third of the standings.

Whether Matthews is underrated on here is irrelevant. The Polls Board is a joke, second only to the Trade Board, and just squeaking ahead of the main NHL Board. So yes, I'd say he's underrated on these boards, but that's only a symptom of a larger problem regarding HF's attitude towards the Leafs and Leafs fan base.

The problem with the main board there are some posters with anti Leafs agendas that makes it hard to not response. One poster brought up Matthews play against Boston from last Saturday and how bad he was, I mean like one game meant a lot when you factor how Matthews played last season against them.

 

[Apotheosis]

I honestly don't care how the main board views him. He's a top 3 performer in the league at 5v5. The discrepancy lies in split PP time and lesser minutes. He'll be scoring similar to Malkin (whom I compared him to stylistically) when the UFA guys are gone and the big 3 are tasked with playing more minutes.

 

[Leafidelity]

I wouldn't trade Matthews. Not for anyone. I like the person, the skillset and the pride way too much.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I wouldn't trade Matthews. Not for anyone. I like the person, the skillset and the pride way too much.

As much as I enjoy seeing Matthews on the Leafs and what he has done for them, I think the only player we would trade him for his Connor McDavid.

 

[biotk]

Is Matthews under-rated by many on the main board? Of course. Does he deserve to be ranked #10? Each poster probably has a different view. I love Matthews' intangibles, and I think they are under-rated. At the same time this has not been a consistent season for Matthews, and I have found his play to at times appear unmotivated. Don't know where I would rank him. I do not vote in such polls anyway.

 

[Mitchy]

On another note, the Jake Gardiner vs Travis Hamonic poll might be even more embarrassing. There is no way in hell that Travis Hamonic is a better hockey player than Jake Gardiner. Even the biggest Gardiner haters have to admit this.

On topic, Matthews is underrated by some "neutral" fans for sure. Players, on HF, tend to be rated too much based on how liked or disliked their fanbase is, which always annoys me.

One thing I really dislike when Matthews is being discussed on the mainboards is how his amazing goal scoring abilities and play at 5v5 get underrated. Yes, PP matters, but when someone produces like Matthews does at 5v5, they should be lauded.