Auston Matthews Discussion Thread

[TopChedder]

The jealousy for him is evidence of how good he is. I've noticed fans in Canada don't like him. Fans in the States love him. Fans in Edmonton....well you know.

The big thing posters like to say is that he is leaving Toronto when his contract is up, I doubt it. He gushes about playing here all the time.

I could see McDavid teaming up with him in Toronto before Matty leaving for Zona lol

 

[TopChedder]

lol, they're STILL talking about him leaving for Arizona on the main board

Because you know - with all the money Arizona is raking in nowadays - they'll totally have enough to bring Matthews in, right?!

LOL it will never happen.

 

[ACC1224]

The big thing posters like to say is that he is leaving Toronto when his contract is up, I doubt it. He gushes about playing here all the time.

I could see McDavid teaming up with him in Toronto before Matty leaving for Zona lol

I don’t think he’s going anywhere but if he did I would put Vegas or LA ahead of Arizona as his destination.

 

[TopChedder]

I don’t think he’s going anywhere but if he did I would put Vegas or LA ahead of Arizona as his destination.

Agreed! I could see that if he did decide to leave. I think maybe once he is closer to his mid 30's he may decide to be in the sunshine more often, I can't even blame him. My fam is from Cali and the weather is SPECTACULAR, same with Nevada.

 

[ACC1224]

Agreed! I could see that if he did decide to leave. I think maybe once he is closer to his mid 30's he may decide to be in the sunshine more often, I can't even blame him. My fam is from Cali and the weather is SPECTACULAR, same with Nevada.

Like McDavid though any team including Arizona would give him whatever he wants to join.

 

[Twine Tickler]

pretty tough to get 40 without a single ENG. Which further illuminates just how impressive that gap from his goal total to the second most. Incredible is the only way to describe it

 

[TopChedder]

Like McDavid though any team including Arizona would give him whatever he wants to join.

Fully agreed. I don't blame any player for wanting the best living arrangement and career.

I think if I was a player I would play in a massive hockey market to build my brand, but after 30 the place I live becomes more important.

 

[Mats13]

lol, they're STILL talking about him leaving for Arizona on the main board

Because you know - with all the money Arizona is raking in nowadays - they'll totally have enough to bring Matthews in, right?!

It’s usually people from small Canadian markets who say this.

They don’t seem to understand the difference between living in Edmonton and living in TORONTO.

Literally the 4th largest market in NA sports and the biggest in hockey.

Modern day players care about their legacy. Greatest Maple Leaf ever is a legacy that most players dream of.

 

[Twine Tickler]

If you just sift through twitter right now you will find tweet after tweet that demonstrates just how impressive this guy has been this year. each tweet seemingly one up'ing the previous one. Look at that progression lol

 

[The Beyonder]

The McDavid thread on the main board - 95% of the thread is celebrating a great talent, rightfully so

The Matthews thread on the main board - 50% of the thread is dipshits trying to discredit him because of the Canadian division.

It's because of insecure oiler fans obsessing over anything Matthews related. The insecurity of that fanbase knows no rival.

 

[3blizzard4]

It's because of insecure oiler fans obsessing over anything Matthews related. The insecurity of that fanbase knows no rival.

This. 100% THIS.

 

[Stephen]

pretty tough to get 40 without a single ENG. Which further illuminates just how impressive that gap from his goal total to the second most. Incredible is the only way to describe it

I think Leafs Nation likes to overplay the 5 on 5 goals factor with Matthews' production. Of course a PP that didn't go on a crazy weeks long dry spell and EN goals would further pad his stats and is a growth area, but I'll take some additional EN production in the dying minutes protecting a lead as well.

 

[Stephen]

It's because of insecure oiler fans obsessing over anything Matthews related. The insecurity of that fanbase knows no rival.

I think it's largely because Matthews' success as an individual player has always been closely pegged to the success of the Toronto Maple Leafs as an organization on the rise over the past 5 years whereas McDavid (and Draisaitl) have often shot out the lights and that has not always translated into any kind of Edmonton Oilers success.

 

[Confucius]

I think Leafs Nation likes to overplay the 5 on 5 goals factor with Matthews' production. Of course a PP that didn't go on a crazy weeks long dry spell and EN goals would further pad his stats and is a growth area, but I'll take some additional EN production in the dying minutes protecting a lead as well.

Lets all remember this when things equal out down the road and Mathews has a year where just as inexplicably as getting 0 EN goals he gets 10 in a season.

 

[Stephen]

Lets all remember this when things equal out down the road and Mathews has a year where just as inexplicably as getting 0 EN goals he gets 10 in a season.

Well, it's not a game of percentages. In order to be an EN threat as a center you have to be a rock solid defensive center, win a high percentage of defensive zone face offs and be in the right areas. To date, Matthews has 3x EN goals in his career. So it's a growth area for him but EN goals aren't necessarily low hanging fruit either.

 

[Confucius]

Well, it's not a game of percentages. In order to be an EN threat as a center you have to be a rock solid defensive center, win a high percentage of defensive zone face offs and be in the right areas. To date, Matthews has 3x EN goals in his career. So it's a growth area for him but EN goals aren't necessarily low hanging fruit either.

hey I agree but when he gets 10, i hope nobody says yeah but 10 were Empty Netters.

 

[Stephen]

hey I agree but when he gets 10, i hope nobody says yeah but 10 were Empty Netters.

Yeah for sure. I'll take goals 5 on 5, PP, PK, EN, any way he can get them.

 

[zeke]

Well, it's not a game of percentages. In order to be an EN threat as a center you have to be a rock solid defensive center, win a high percentage of defensive zone face offs and be in the right areas. To date, Matthews has 3x EN goals in his career. So it's a growth area for him but EN goals aren't necessarily low hanging fruit either.

EN goals are definitely low hanging fruit - and given how good matthews is on faceoffs and defensively in general its only a matter of luck that he doesn't have any this year. remembering of course as well that Babcock didn't use him much in these situations because he's a dummy.

Not that being good defensively even matters too much - over the past 3yrs the most productive emotions net points producer is Scheifele and he's anything but good defensively.

 

[nsleaf]

How bad do you need to be, if you can't score on an empty net, geesh.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

How bad do you need to be, if you can't score on an empty net, geesh.

I wonder how many EN assists he has. Wouldn't be shocked if he just passes it to Hyman or Marner most of the time

I mean how else are they going to get their goals? Matthews does not need a handicap.

 

[Three On Zero]

The big thing posters like to say is that he is leaving Toronto when his contract is up, I doubt it. He gushes about playing here all the time.

I could see McDavid teaming up with him in Toronto before Matty leaving for Zona lol

The big plot for either player will be who can find more success with the current team. Toronto is a far more attractive market/community. If Edmonton can’t find success in the next 4 years I think McDavid is as good as gone

 

[Stephen]

EN goals are definitely low hanging fruit - and given how good matthews is on faceoffs and defensively in general its only a matter of luck that he doesn't have any this year. remembering of course as well that Babcock didn't use him much in these situations because he's a dummy.

Not that being good defensively even matters too much - over the past 3yrs the most productive emotions net points producer is Scheifele and he's anything but good defensively.

The Leafs were nursing a 2-1 lead against Montreal a week ago with an EN when Matthews was selected to take the draw vs Danault. He lost the draw and Montreal scored the goal to tie it.

I'm not trying to pick apart Matthews on that one play but there was no luck factoring in and everything to do with the steps needed to score an EN goal as a center. Win the draw, tie up the opposition center, buy enough time for the defense to make a play to get the puck out, receive the puck somewhere on the ice and then score, while avoiding an icing call. I'd say it's probably a lot easier for a defensive winger to score EN goals in those situations. It's not an automatic stats padding moment.

 

[pcruz]

Opponent	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPP
Calgary	9	5	4	9	2	2
Edmonton	6	5	1	6	1	1
Montreal	10	7	7	14	2	3
Ottawa	8	9	7	16	3	4
Vancouver	9	9	1	10	1	2
Winnipeg	8	5	5	10	1	1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[saffronleaf]

With all the (understandable) flak Matthews has gotten for losing important faceoffs in the defensive zone and having goals against on set plays from those faceoffs...

Gotta respect what Matthews did last night. Solid faceoff win (he was great on faceoffs all night). Set play that he and Marner seemed like they were discussing on the bench just before the faceoff. Well executed. Game winning goal.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

The Rocket is his. And i think it’s gonna be a long long time