Willy Nylander vs Gaudreau

[sparxx87]

And yet on the Matthews thread Leaf fans are saying Matthews drives the line and is a Selke candidate.
Then on the Kadri thread Kadri is a Selke candidate.
I know you guys have some great young players but if all of them were as good as we read you'd be a lock for the Presidents Trophy.

Both guys can and do drive the line, that’s why they’re so dominant.

Kadri isn’t a Selke candidate. I’m not sure where that came from or what advanced stats say, Kadri isn’t a legit Selke candidate. He’s a skilled and smart player who has a pesky element to his game that allows him to be an effective match up centre for the most part. There’s still a good handful of better defensive centres that will always keep him well away from a Selke Trophy.

I’d strongly suggest you evalute the content of the posters you’re reading... A handful of unreasonable fans shouldn’t disqualify the informed and reasonably objective ones.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Serious question: Would you be using zxyz% stat if your players were actually out-producing their comparisons? justification anyway you need it.

Yeah I would. Your turn

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

And yet on the Matthews thread Leaf fans are saying Matthews drives the line and is a Selke candidate.
Then on the Kadri thread Kadri is a Selke candidate.
I know you guys have some great young players but if all of them were as good as we read you'd be a lock for the Presidents Trophy.

Exactly. Ask a leaf fan and Gaudreau is probably their 4th best forward.

I’ve been a believer that Johnny hockey is a top ten NHL player for a long time. He is just an elite/world class talent. Now that the NHL is calling slashing I expect him to put up 90-100 points this season

 

[sparxx87]

Exactly. Ask a leaf fan and Gaudreau is probably their 4th best forward.

I’ve been a believer that Johnny hockey is a top ten NHL player for a long time. He is just an elite/world class talent. Now that the NHL is calling slashing I expect him to put up 90-100 points this season

I'd suggest you disregard those opinions. Matthews is the only Leaf whose definitively better. Again, a handful of unreasonable or unqualified opinions shouldn't disqualify the rest.

 

[NarcoPolo]

Exactly. Ask a leaf fan and Gaudreau is probably their 4th best forward.

I’ve been a believer that Johnny hockey is a top ten NHL player for a long time. He is just an elite/world class talent. Now that the NHL is calling slashing I expect him to put up 90-100 points this season

Im a leaf fan and thats a big fat nope.

 

[qwerty]

The answer is Gaudreau. Until Nylander finishes 6th in NHL scoring, to go along with leading his team in scoring multiple times and also outscoring his next teammate by over 20%, then the answer will be Gaudreau everytime. But I don't even see that happening as Auston Matthews will likely always be ahead in points barring injury, therefore one could always surmise that Nylander gets a boost in production from his more talented line mate. Nylander is as skilled as they come, but there's a lot of guesswork and assumptions being made here.

 

[sparxx87]

The answer is Gaudreau. Until Nylander finishes 6th in NHL scoring, to go along with leading his team in scoring multiple times and also outscoring his next teammate by over 20%, then the answer will be Gaudreau everytime. But I don't even see that happening as Auston Matthews will likely always be ahead in points barring injury, therefore one could always surmise that Nylander gets a boost in production from his more talented line mate. Nylander is as skilled as they come, but there's a lot of guesswork and assumptions being made here.

That's fair.

Leafs play back-to-back in the west this week. Focus on Nylander with, and without the puck... If you know what you're looking at, you'll see it's perfectly reasonable to be unsure or even favour Nylander.

 

[qwerty]

That's fair.

Leafs play back-to-back in the west this week. Focus on Nylander with, and without the puck... If you know what you're looking at, you'll see it's perfectly reasonable to be unsure or even favour Nylander.

I’ve seen him play a lot, he’s got all the tools to become an elite winger. He and Ehlers are the guys I wanted the Flames to grab instead of Sam Bennett. But even then, there’s a lot more ‘proving’ that he’ll have to do before I put him ahead of Gaudreau. This is a weird thread too timing wise, shouldn’t Maple Leaf fans be trying to compare Nylander to other, more inexpensive players. It’s like you guys don’t realize that he could easily end up in the 7m+ range next season. Matthews will be commanding one of the largest salaries the league has ever seen. The cap crunch could be brutal on the Leafs in a few years.

 

[authentic]

Exactly. Ask a leaf fan and Gaudreau is probably their 4th best forward.

I’ve been a believer that Johnny hockey is a top ten NHL player for a long time. He is just an elite/world class talent. Now that the NHL is calling slashing I expect him to put up 90-100 points this season

I don't think a single Leafs fan would tell you Marner is better right now.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I don't think a single Leafs fan would tell you Marner is better right now.

That's quite the pivot from just a few weeks ago, where there was seemingly an unlimited number of leafs fans who were making that argument before the season started.

 

[flamesforcup]

I don't think a single Leafs fan would tell you Marner is better right now.

Is this a joke?

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I don't think a single Leafs fan would tell you Marner is better right now.

And that is exactly why so many of us have been warning why it's dangerous to project that young players will always progress in a linear manner. Just look at Marner who had a great rookie year and is struggling has now been demoted to the fourth line for at least a few games.
Gaudreau has a top 6 finish on his resume. Until Nylander matches that, if ever, it's Gaudreau.

 

[NarcoPolo]

That's quite the pivot from just a few weeks ago, where there was seemingly an unlimited number of leafs fans who were making that argument before the season started.

Marner had the same amount of points as Gaudreau last season as a rookie in a few extra games. Not much of a deeper look into both players underlying numbers was taken into account by a lot of leaf fans but if Im not mistaken, most said they'd rather have Marner in the future.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Marner had the same amount of points as Gaudreau last season as a rookie in a few extra games. Not much of a deeper look into both players underlying numbers was taken into account by a lot of leaf fans but if Im not mistaken, most said they'd rather have Marner in the future.

There were many who said he was already better. I warned folks that he still had to prove that he could exceed Gaudreau's rookie season, let alone Gaudreau's current level. But of course, nobody wanted to hear it.

Hopefully that's a lesson some fans can learn from. Maybe hold back on comparing your young skilled wingers to Johnny Gaudreau until they have actually proven to be at that level.

 

[authentic]

That's quite the pivot from just a few weeks ago, where there was seemingly an unlimited number of leafs fans who were making that argument before the season started.

That's why I said right now. His play has been nothing close to what he showed before injury last season, infact it's been worse than at the end of last season. Yeah I was one who said I thought he would be better, and I still think that could happen eventually.

 

[North Man]

There were many who said he was already better. I warned folks that he still had to prove that he could exceed Gaudreau's rookie season, let alone Gaudreau's current level. But of course, nobody wanted to hear it.

Hopefully that's a lesson some fans can learn from. Maybe hold back on comparing your young skilled wingers to Johnny Gaudreau until they have actually proven to be at that level.

Exactly, I think thats exactly what Leafs fans will realize with Nylander. One good rookie season doesn't make you an NHL superstar. If Nylander has a ~ppg this season, then we can talk about this comparison, and even so Johnny is on pace for 100+ points right now.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

That's why I said right now. His play has been nothing close to what he showed before injury last season, infact it's been worse than at the end of last season. Yeah I was one who said I thought he would be better, and I still think that could happen eventually.

But I was assured that since he would obviously improve over because he was younger than Gaudreau. His early struggles this year suggest that perhaps development isn't linear for all players, like I said a billion times.

 

[authentic]

But I was assured that since he would obviously improve over because he was younger than Gaudreau. His early struggles this year suggest that perhaps development isn't linear for all players, like I said a billion times.

Of course it isn't, but how can you ever really know that about a specific player unless you have a crystal ball? Good guess on Marner I suppose, though he's a notoriously slow starter and there is 70 games left to go.

 

[authentic]

Is this a joke?

No it's not, atleast not anyone who has been watching him this season.

 

[The Macho King]

Of course it isn't, but how can you ever really know that about a specific player unless you have a crystal ball? Good guess on Marner I suppose, though he's a notoriously slow starter and there is 70 games left to go.

How can you be a "notoriously slow starter" in your second season? Is one prior data point enough for the trend to be "notorious"?

 

[authentic]

How can you be a "notoriously slow starter" in your second season? Is one prior data point enough for the trend to be "notorious"?

He played hockey before the NHL.

 

[The Macho King]

He played hockey before the NHL.

Ah - so junior hockey creates trends that continue into pro hockey.

It's an asinine statement - own it.

 

[djpatm]

Gaudreau will be in a race with Matthews. Can't believe this comparison is still going.

Close this poll.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

I'm going with the good 'ol Calgary boy here,

William Nylander.

Also why suggest closing a poll that's near 50/50?

 

[authentic]

Ah - so junior hockey creates trends that continue into pro hockey.

It's an asinine statement - own it.

It's not at all. He's only 2 years removed from his last start in junior hockey. A lot of good players like him heat up as the season goes on and do great in the playoffs.