Best Playmaking Centers in the NHL

[Tad Mikowsky]

Someone brought up that Matthews was a good playmaker and many jumped on the comment to deny it.

BETTER ATTACK ANYONE WHO TRIES TO ADVANCE THE CONVERSATION.

Sorry, I forget this forum is reserved for no Leaf talk, unless it is negative talk. My mistake.

Oh spare us. Matthews isn’t a top five playmaker. He’s never hand 50+ assists in a season. He’s not better than Malkin or on the same tier either, as you previously mentioned earlier this year.

Just because he’s not being acknowledged as being the best in the category doesn’t mean he’s a bad player and it’s negative talk.

There’s no conversation to be advanced. I’m sorry you had to play the Leafs fan victim card, again.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

So you guys understand the rules...?
Then WHY on earth do Leafs fans try to insert themselves into every convo and shove every good leaf stat down our throats. Us other 30 fanbases can only handle so much.

Because victim duh.

 

[McFlash97]

McDavid, Giroux, Backstrom.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

‎

 

[Alwalys]

Those were some pretty passes for sure. Here are a couple from Jumbo

To quote the dallas announcers ... are you kidding me with that pass?!

 

[North Cole]

How many centres have scored a goal like this going up against a 2x Norris Trophy winner?

I'm glad you asked.. I believe Duncan Keith is a 2x Norris winner.

It's even a playmaking sequence...so it follows the actual criteria of the OP.

#FilthyMitts

 

[Nithoniniel]

I'd say this should be Crosby, Thornton, Bäckström, and McDavid, with a group of others vying for a mention.

Overall Passing: Thornton
Vision: Crosby
Chance Generation: McDavid
Saucer Pass: Bäckström
Smartest: Crosby

For those who still think Matthews does not belong among other centres on this topic.

Give it a rest. Matthews is not one of the best playmaking centers in the league. That should be obvious for anyone. There is absolutely no statistical support for such an assertion whatsoever. He doesn't have the assists, and the top playmaking centers have about twice his numbers if you look at the Passing Project and things like that. Oh, and half the league can produce a couple of highlights of nice passes.

Not every comment that doesn't praise him to the skies regardless of context need to be treated like an attack.

Someone brought up that Matthews was a good playmaker and many jumped on the comment to deny it.

That's a rather disingenuous take. Someone brought up that Matthews is one of the best playmaking centers in the world, and people rightfully disagreed. You are not advancing a discussion here, you are doing the opposite. And I don't much care for the victim act either when you are living up to every stereotype people portray us with.

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

He has one of the best shots in the League. Would HF prefer if he didn't shoot and instead forced passes? I mean this is a 40 goal scoring player, what else should he do? He can make the pass when he needs to.

This is a short video but it shows how great he is at creating space and setting up his team mates. It's just that he is elite at goal scoring so he will do that most of the time.

HES NOT A PLAYMAKER

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Alex Wennberg is absolutely filthy when he’s on his game.

I’ve seen him make some seriously gorgeous Backstrom-like passes.

 

[DrJustice]

McDavid
Thornton
Getzlaf
Malkin
Backstrom

 

[Instant]

HES NOT A PLAYMAKER

Hey, let's not go that far. He is a playmaker, just... not good enough to qualify to "best playmaking centers" list.

 

[Leonhard Euler]

McDavid, Crosby, Backstrom, Thornton (still), Getzlaf.

If I had to list 5.

 

[Bronson]

I'd make a case for Barzal and Erik Karlsson.

E: yeah Karlsson is not a center, missed that part of the title

 

[Not So Mighty]

For those who still think Matthews does not belong among other centres on this topic.

Matthews has made a handful of excellent passes in his time. It does not make him one of the best playmakers in the league. In terms of consistent playmaking ability and output, Matthews does not belong anywhere near the likes Thornton, McDavid, Crosby, Getzlaf, Backstrom, etc.

Here's a clip of George Parros going a perfect 4 for 4 in a skills competition. Does that mean he should be mentioned at all in a thread about snipers? Of course not, because he doesn't belong just like Matthews doesn't belong in this thread and I bet he himself would agree.

 

[blueberrie]

IF HFboards seems to find the topic of Matthews not being a great playmaker or Leaf fans being stupid more interesting than actually great playmakers than so be it.

You can't whine about every thread turning into Leaf talk when every other fanbase loves getting triggered about the Leafs and feel the need to post Matthews assists stats 20 times in a row rather than just moving on and discussing actual playmakers.

 

[VainGretzky]

How many centres have scored a goal like this going up against a 2x Norris Trophy winner?

Nice play, but nowhere near the top playmaker Altough Toronto will have a top 5 playmaker in the NHL in Marner

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

Hey, let's not go that far. He is a playmaker, just... not good enough to qualify to "best playmaking centers" list.

Still, whats wrong with some people? Are people (kids?) really so dumb these days that they cant see beyond their homerism?

 

[Instant]

Still, whats wrong with some people? Are people (kids?) really so dumb these days that they cant see beyond their homerism?

Yes.

 

[TheNumber4]

How many centres have scored a goal like this going up against a 2x Norris Trophy winner?

Why is that ANY TIME someone says something even slightly negative about Matthews (his subpar playmaking abilities in this case) a Leaf fan posts in reply something that has zero relevance to the subject at hand.

"Matthews playmaking isn't great" -> "OH YEH well look at this nice goal he scored!"
"Matthews produces at about a top 20-30 player in the league rate" -> "OH YEH well his team is in the playoffs!"
"Matthews disappeared in these playoffs" -> "OH YEH but as a rookie he scored lots of goals!"

 

[Nithoniniel]

You can't whine about every thread turning into Leaf talk when every other fanbase loves getting triggered about the Leafs and feel the need to post Matthews assists stats 20 times in a row rather than just moving on and discussing actual playmakers.

This is true. We have a tendency to give the most attention to the opinions that deserve it the least on these boards, and arguably in society as a whole.

 

[zharkenby]

Yes I do and I see Matthews playmaking that set up a goal, he just happened to do it by himself.

“Why do people hate leafs fans???”

 

[zharkenby]

He has one of the best shots in the League. Would HF prefer if he didn't shoot and instead forced passes? I mean this is a 40 goal scoring player, what else should he do? He can make the pass when he needs to.

This is a short video but it shows how great he is at creating space and setting up his team mates. It's just that he is elite at goal scoring so he will do that most of the time.

Hf doesn’t care what he does... but this is a thread about playmaking, thus nobody cares about his goal scoring ability in this thread. Not everything has to be about overrated Austin bud, take a lap.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Giroux

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

McDavid
Crosby
Kuznetsov
Barzal
Backstrom

In no particular order

 

[CP4]

Used to be Henrik Sedin