Auston Matthews vs Steven Stamkos

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

Lemieux, Bure and Ovechkin all lead the NHL in goals or goals per game multiple times after 25.

Lemieux’s highest goal total was his 5th season
Bure’s highest goal total was his 2nd season
Stamkos’ highest goal total was his 4th season
Ovechkin’s highest goal total was his 3rd season
Hull’s highest goal total was his 5th season
Gretzky’s highest goal total was his 3rd season

This is Matthews’ 5th season. It’s quite possible we’ve seen the best from him

 

[authentic]

Lemieux’s highest goal total was his 5th season
Bure’s highest goal total was his 2nd season
Stamkos’ highest goal total was his 4th season
Ovechkin’s highest goal total was his 3rd season
Hull’s highest goal total was his 5th season
Gretzky’s highest goal total was his 3rd season

This is Matthews’ 5th season. It’s quite possible we’ve seen the best from him

You said he will have 1-2 more seasons as a top goal scorer. He could be a worse version of himself going forward and still be the top goal scorer for the next 5 years atleast.

 

[NiL8r87]

Thank goodness Ottawa can shut him down occasionally, expecting that tonight.

 

[McVespa99]

I will say Matthews because of Stamkos injuries derailing his career. He has not been the same for a long time. Matthews has had injuries but they have not hurt him as a player going forward. If Stamkos had not had the catastrophic injuries it would be him.

 

[Slapshot Sultan]

Lmao we’ll see who ends their career with more goals and more rockets

You can keep believing what you want

[MOD] It's not about believing anything, it was a comment about their first 4 years, were Stamkos is easily ahead. Future is unknown and Matthews can easily come ahead, because Stamkos had some major injury issues after those first 4 years

 

[Sundinisagod]

[MOD] It's not about believing anything, it was a comment about their first 4 years, were Stamkos is easily ahead. Future is unknown and Matthews can easily come ahead, because Stamkos had some major injury issues after those first 4 years

I don’t know how you can say Stamkos was “easily ahead” when he had the the slightly worse goals per game.

 

[Legion34]

[MOD] It's not about believing anything, it was a comment about their first 4 years, were Stamkos is easily ahead. Future is unknown and Matthews can easily come ahead, because Stamkos had some major injury issues after those first 4 years

but the end of this year will be year 5? Not 4?

By the end of year 5 stamkos had 208.
With 15 games. Left Matty. Has 189.

Stamkos had also played 51 more games.

Matthews is behind by 19 right now with 15 games left. He’s not catching him. But he is going to be less than 19 behind at Stamkos absolute peak.

It will all come down to injuries. But to me it’s really surprising that at stammers absolute peak Matty is this close. Despite multiple. Injuries. Playing 18 min a game. And his first 250’games playing with

hyman. Brown. Nylander. Marleau. Ennis. Kappy. Johnson.

 

[Slapshot Sultan]

I don’t know how you can say Stamkos was “easily ahead” when he had the the slightly worse goals per game.

Well, easily as in not much but definitely advantage to Stamkos. Matthews is not far behind, but 60 goal season and 2 rockets makes it clearly Stamkos.

Stamkos rookie year was of course the worst season between the two and lowers his GPG for those seasons, but the 3 following seasons puts him ahead. Also the league scoring levels were a bit lower with Stamkos and he played more games with more goals which makes the GPG more impressive.

If Matthews wins the rocket this season, he is much closer even if it's a shortened season.

 

[HisNoodliness]

I voted Matthews. If not for injuries I think Stamkos would have taken this pretty easily. He might have been able to get 60 a couple times and would have at least a few more 50 goal seasons. Even with the injuries he's been a star player. The guy just can't stay healthy, especially when it matters most.

Give me prime Stamkos over Matthews every day of the week, but Matthews will have the better career I think.

 

[authentic]

I voted Matthews. If not for injuries I think Stamkos would have taken this pretty easily. He might have been able to get 60 a couple times and would have at least a few more 50 goal seasons. Even with the injuries he's been a star player. The guy just can't stay healthy, especially when it matters most.

Give me prime Stamkos over Matthews every day of the week, but Matthews will have the better career I think.

Stamkos would've had a couple 60 goals seasons possibly, Matthews probably has it in him too if he remained healthy over 82 games, also assuming we even get back to an 82 game schedule. The only difference is that Matthews is a dominant two-way player at the same time, which is what really separates them.

 

[Regal]

Guy can't stay healthy when it matters most? He had one playoffs where he wasn't healthy, the one where he only had 2 points in a series. Didn't Stamkos miss most of the playoffs this season? Take a look at both of their goals per game in the playoffs too. Stamkos would've had a couple 60 goals seasons possibly, Matthews probably has it in him too if he remained healthy over 82 games, also assuming we even get back to an 82 game schedule. The only difference is that Matthews is a dominant two-way player at the same time, which is what really separates them.

Pretty sure that was directed toward Stamkos

 

[authentic]

Pretty sure that was directed toward Stamkos

Yeah reading that again I don't know how I misinterpreted that.

 

[34]

This poll will be a landslide. I don’t mind Stamkos at all, but this is Auston Matthews all day long!

Matthews is the 2nd best player in the NHL.

 

[Yackiberg8]

This is Matthews very easily. Sucks that he is being robbed of two peak years to put up a high total by Covid.

 

[BlueBaron]

Stammer had 179 through 4 seasons and Matthews had 158. So far it's Stamkos but it could change.

Hmm 21 more goals in 37 more games puts them at about even. You have .55 goals a game versus .548. Basically a games played difference.

His career gpg is .52 vs Austons .59

It boils down to games. If Auston stays healthy it's him.

 

[pcruz]

A lot of goal scorers peak around the age Matthews is - I imagine he’ll have 1-2 more seasons as a top goal scorer and trail off.

The thing is, due to injuries/pandemics/etc, Matthews hasn’t even put up a 50 goal season, let alone a 60. Stamkos has.

This has to be Stamkos

These kinds of posts are so disengenuous that they border on absurdity.

Matthews scored what, 47 goals in 70 games. Stay healthy, one may say right, but the only reason he didn't play the last 12 games was due to the league shutting down.
It is absolutely ridiculous to believe that Matthews would not have scored 3 goals in the remaining 12 games had the season not been shut down due to Covid.

The rationale behind dismissing "on pace" for discussions is that one doesn't know whether or not the person can sustain that kind of pace in the long run.
Until, of course, the player continues that pace for the long run.


Matthews was on pace for 55 goals last season and lost the Rocket Richard trophy by a single goal.
This year, he has not only kept that pace, but he's continued to get better.

Extrapolating the results of this year and comparing them to the pace he was on last year, it is more than safe to assume that he would have, indeed, scored those 3 goals in 12 games to end the season last year.

 

[Bedards Dad]

Conveniently left out the games played eh

Stamkos first 4 seasons: 0.55 goals per game
Matthews first 4 seasons: 0.56 goals per game

Now both have shortened 5th seasons but Matthews career moves to 0.58 and Stamkos to 0.56

It’s not Stamkos so far at all

This is pretty much it, they are as close as it gets. It will come down to longevity of Matthews career who is better.

Of current players for their entire career it would be:

1. Ovi
2/3. Matthews/Stamkos, until we see how Matthews holds up injury wise.

 

[shaner82]

pre injury stammer was rivaling ovechkin. Let’s hope matthews can stay healthy

Like you said, Stamkos fell off due to an injury (at least that's what it seems like). I see no reason to assume the same thing will happen to Matthews. Chances are Matthews continues being one of the top goal scorers in the league. So my vote goes to Matthews.

 

[Spilot23]

How is Stamkos not winning this in a landslide ? 60 goals ? Literally the only one to do it besides the GOAT since like, what, 1993 ?

Anti Bolts bias !

 

[Cotton]

Stammer had 179 through 4 seasons and Matthews had 158. So far it's Stamkos but it could change.

You can actually add in their 5th seasons, it’s a comparable amount of games even though this season isn’t finished (48 to 38).

Stamkos’ g/Pg;
79gp 23g (0.29)
82gp 51g (0.62)
82gp 45g (0.55)
82gp 60g (0.73)
48gp 29g (0.60)

Matthews’ g/Pg;
82gp 40g (0.49)
62gp 34g (0.55)
68gp 37g (0.54)
70gp 47g (0.67)
38gp 31g (0.82)

Steven 373gp 208g
Auston 320gp 189g

It’s actually a really solid comparison, had Matthews not had injuries in his sophomore and third years, and the season not been shortened last year, I think they would have almost identical totals. I’d say Stamkos has the edge up to the 5th year point but I personally expect Matthews to have the edge going forward - as Stamkos never hit numbers like he did during these sample years since then.

 

[pcruz]

You can actually add in their 5th seasons, it’s a comparable amount of games even though this season isn’t finished (48 to 38).

Stamkos’ g/Pg;
79gp 23g (0.29)
82gp 51g (0.62)
82gp 45g (0.55)
82gp 60g (0.73)
48gp 29g (0.60)

Matthews’ g/Pg;
82gp 40g (0.49)
62gp 34g (0.55)
68gp 37g (0.54)
70gp 47g (0.67)
38gp 31g (0.82)

Steven 373gp 208g
Auston 320gp 189g

It’s actually a really solid comparison, had Matthews not had injuries in his sophomore and third years, and the season not been shortened last year, I think they would have almost identical totals. I’d say Stamkos has the edge up to the 5th year point but I personally expect Matthews to have the edge going forward - as Stamkos never hit numbers like he did during these sample years since then.

2 reasons for that last statement - Stamkos had a horrific injury, and St. Louis started to slow down.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Matthews, if he stays healthier than Stamkos has.

 

[McVespa99]

This poll will be a landslide. I don’t mind Stamkos at all, but this is Auston Matthews all day long!

Matthews is the 2nd best player in the NHL.

Crap! I'm an Oilers fan and hadn't heard the announcement that Drai, Mack, Headman and a couple others had retired.

 

[Hockeyholic]

This poll will be a landslide. I don’t mind Stamkos at all, but this is Auston Matthews all day long!

Matthews is the 2nd best player in the NHL.

 

[34]