After the Big 4, who would round out the top 5 as the best players in the league?

[22Brad Park]

Pastrnak 106 pts 47 goals & no top centre with him.Give him McDavid he would score 70 to 80

Some how Auston Matthews is one of the most criminally underrated players in the league.

Don’t even @ me with your excuses. It’s simply not true. Having him outside the top 5 is a ridiculous take.

Matthews is a beast

 

[nbwingsfan]

I mean what Matthews is doing in is pretty extraordinary. At this point it’s pretty hard to ignore him running away with another Rocket while being top 10 in points and playing in the more important position.
He’s up by 11 goals in the Rocket race and closing in on 70 goals. It’s been a while since a Rocket winner lapped the field like this.
He’s top 4 despite a down year lad year imo.

So again, outside of the goals,”, what makes it more impressive when Pastrnak is out scoring his own teammates by 40!!pts while being on a line with a ~55pt player and a ~35pt plwyer?

 

[WetcoastOrca]

So again, outside of the goals,”, what makes it more impressive when Pastrnak is out scoring his own teammates by 40!!pts while being on a line with a ~55pt player and a ~35pt plwyer?

I mean the whole point of the game is out scoring the other team. Why would I ignore the fact he’s on pace to score 70 of them when it doesn’t happen very often any more. He’s lapping the field for the Rocket. That hasn’t happened in a while.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Um his 63 goals alone does and he is still scoring goals playing with Domi and Bertuzzi lol

His own teammate has just as many points as Matthews. Spends the vast majority of his time with one of the best playmakers in the game.


Pastrnak is outscoring his best teammate by 40 and has a 55 and 35pt players helping him out.

He’s doing it all by himself

Take away the most impressive thing about him, then what?

Okay Matthews wins goals sure.

Pastrnak wins in assists and and points all while playing with literally no help lol.

Matthews has a guy who has just as many points as him and one of the better playmakers in the world.

 

[Yorkshire Leaf]

His own teammate has just as many points as Matthews. Spends the vast majority of his time with one of the best playmakers in the game.


Pastrnak is outscoring his best teammate by 40 and has a 55 and 35pt players helping him out.

He’s doing it all by himself


Okay Matthews wins goals sure.

Pastrnak wins in assists and and points all while playing with literally no help lol.

Matthews has a guy who has just as many points as him and one of the better playmakers in the world.

Doesn’t this just show how stupid these top 5/10 list are, especially considering it is a team game.

There are so many criteria by which to judge players, a definitive list is impossible.

 

[The Podium]

His own teammate has just as many points as Matthews. Spends the vast majority of his time with one of the best playmakers in the game.


Pastrnak is outscoring his best teammate by 40 and has a 55 and 35pt players helping him out.

He’s doing it all by himself


Okay Matthews wins goals sure.

Pastrnak wins in assists and and points all while playing with literally no help lol.

Matthews has a guy who has just as many points as him and one of the better playmakers in the world.

Matthew since Marner went down playing primarily with Domi and Bertuzzi

12GP 9G 10A 19 Pts

Also Marchand has been his most consistent line mate and yes he is slowing down but a 70 point Marchand is still something.

 

[Strangle]

But...no one said anything about that until your gem of a post.

So? I don’t see your point. You still said it, it’s a weak af argument.

Don’t get all emotional because I pointed it out to you

 

[nbwingsfan]

Doesn’t this just show how stupid these top 5/10 list are, especially considering it is a team game.

There are so many criteria by which to judge players, a definitive list is impossible.

I agree 100%, my issue is calling Matthews the clear #4 when there’s a few guys you can argue above him (and Pastrnak). There’s been some really good players this season

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

Drai - F
Makar - D

 

[danpantz]

Matthew since Marner went down playing primarily with Domi and Bertuzzi

12GP 9G 10A 19 Pts

Also Marchand has been his most consistent line mate and yes he is slowing down but a 70 point Marchand is still something.

Pasta spends 72% of his time at even strength away from Marchand.

So the vast majority of his time this year has been without him.


Matthews has been with Domi and Bertuzzi 6.8 % of the time. He’s had Marner on his line well over 50% of his ice time this year.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Pasta spends 72% of his time at even strength away from Marchand.

So the vast majority of his time this year has been without him.


Matthews has been with Domi and Bertuzzi 6.8 % of the time. He’s had Marner on his line well over 50% of his ice time this year.

Exactly. Their quality of offensive teammates are not comparable at all

 

[The Podium]

Pasta spends 72% of his time at even strength away from Marchand.

So the vast majority of his time this year has been without him.


Matthews has been with Domi and Bertuzzi 6.8 % of the time. He’s had Marner on his line well over 50% of his ice time this year.

Pastrnak and Marchand connected on 36% of his ES production and 85% of his PP production.

He spent 30% with him ES and 80%+ on the PP

Now Marner and Matthews have connected on more than that by virtue of them playing together more often. My point was with lesser linemates Matthews is still producing, even if a limited sample.

Marchand and Pastrnak connected for over 50% of his total production, so it’s not as though Marchand is irrelevant in this conversation.

 

[Ol' Jase]

So? I don’t see your point. You still said it, it’s a weak af argument.

Don’t get all emotional because I pointed it out to you

You don’t see the point that you made a false statement, people responded to it and you got really angry about the response more than once?

Dude, you are literally the only guy who got emotional over this.

 

[BTO]

Typical HFBoards thread lol: Half of it is people suggesting various players for 5th and the other half is people arguing that Matthews is overrated and shouldn't be top-4 at all. Don't see anyone arguing that McD, MacK or Kuch aren't top-4 though.

Hate the leafs but AM is clearly top-4 - only active player with more than one 60-goal season is enough in itself. And Pasta is 5th (this year. Might be higher if he had a centre, like last year. And if he gets one he might have multiple 60-goal seasons too).

 

[BurnabyJoe7]

Everyone knows this. Now you do too.

Shifting the conversation when you're losing an argument is a great strategy. Keep up the good work.

Your avs are having a really tough time against teams in a shit division then- regular season and in the playoffs. Looking forward to hearing the excuses on the loss last night.

 

[daver]

Typical HFBoards thread lol: Half of it is people suggesting various players for 5th and the other half is people arguing that Matthews is overrated and shouldn't be top-4 at all. Don't see anyone arguing that McD, MacK or Kuch aren't top-4 though.

Hate the leafs but AM is clearly top-4 - only active player with more than one 60-goal season is enough in itself. And Pasta is 5th (this year. Might be higher if he had a centre, like last year. And if he gets one he might have multiple 60-goal seasons too).

Because they are pretty clearly the Top 3 players. Draisaitl has as much of a case for #4 as Matthews does based on his playoff performances.

 

[Chairman Maouth]

It's no argument that McDavid, MacKinnon, Kucherov and Matthews are tops in the league this season.

Who would you pick as the player that rounds out the top 5?

Pick a defenceman. Pick Quinn Hughes.

 

[Puckstuff]

To be clear, you're asking for only this season specifically?

Despite gaudy goal totals I'm not sure AM34 is consensus top 4 but if we go with that I might put Helly in the top 5. Not sure another forward or D has the separation to go into that slot.

Matthews is a 66 goal, 104 point C, with elite D. I think 4th best behind McDavid, Mackinnon and Kucherov and ahead of Panarin, Pasta, Makar and Drai.

1. McDavid
2. Mackinnon
3. Kucherov
4. Matthews
5. Makar
6. Draisital
7. Pastrnak
8. Panarin
9. Hellebuyck
10. Rantanen

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Typical HFBoards thread lol: Half of it is people suggesting various players for 5th and the other half is people arguing that Matthews is overrated and shouldn't be top-4 at all. Don't see anyone arguing that McD, MacK or Kuch aren't top-4 though.

Hate the leafs but AM is clearly top-4 - only active player with more than one 60-goal season is enough in itself. And Pasta is 5th (this year. Might be higher if he had a centre, like last year. And if he gets one he might have multiple 60-goal seasons too).

I think Matthews is clearly top 4. But the 4th best guy is always going to be open to more questions than the top 3 guys. Especially after the year he had last year.

 

[dirtydanglez]

he's in the 5-8 range.
mcdavid
mackinnon/kucherov
makar
drasaitl/matthews/q. hughes/fox

 

[Dirty Dan]

Nylander / Pasta

 

[Montreal Shadow]

There’s no Big 4 and there has never been. Matthews doesn’t belong, and that pitiful performance in the playoffs solidifies this. Lol at the posters who legitimately tried to argue that Draisaitl doesn’t blow him out of the water in the playoffs.

 

[Lannes]

There’s no Big 4 and there has never been. Matthews doesn’t belong, and that pitiful performance in the playoffs solidifies this. Lol at the posters who legitimately tried to argue that Draisaitl doesn’t blow him out of the water in the playoffs.

At this point, we gotta be done with the idea that Matthews is better than Draisaitl, right?