Is Auston Matthews the best player in the world ?

[Nineteen67]

Splitting hairs but this guy is pretty good, too.

 

[daethfromabove1979]

I ask again.

When does Matthews get the C?

When Tavares gets traded, so never.

 

[Nineteen67]

Sports are about being better than others. That's the entire point.

For the players. Not the fans.

 

[LadyLala]

Matthews occupies a lot of space in the heads of people out West. I mean, look at the Oilers' post game thread title . Rather than enjoy their win, they gotta try and belittle Matthews. They're absolutely obsessed with him lol

So pathetic.. and people say Leafs fans are insecure.

 

[Cor]

He’s the best player in the league so far THIS SEASON.

his two way game is through the roof this year, and he’s scoring at will. He’s the most dominate ES player in the league.

 

[HarrisonFord]

McDavid is definitely the best in the world. If Matthews was scoring on a goal per game basis and playing like this for multiple seasons then I think a debate would be warranted. Matthews is basically the Ovie in the Ovie vs Crosby debates. But Matthews performance this season vs McDavid performance this season is definitely worth discussion.

I think Matthews/Mackinnon are #2/#3, but McDavid is still in a league of his own. But as Leaf fans we should be happy with that because I think we are watching a historical season from Matthews.

 

[Nineteen67]

Hypothetically, you are a GM of a new 16 team league and you're going to play 1 season with four best of seven playoff rounds. The winning team gets the Stanley Cup and splits $5Billion. If you win you walk away with $100 million
Let’s also assume everyone is healthy and you have the first pick, who are you taking?
I’m taking McDavid.

 

[Papa Cherry]

Right now it's Mcdavid. He is better at creating offense, but Matthews is the best sniper in the world and its not even close in my opinion.

Both these guys see and play the game at a different level than the rest of the league.

 

[Raym11]

Nobody is getting upset for saying he's not number one. But strangely some people are upset that the question is even being asked

I mean, it is a stupid question.

As good of a season that Matthews is having, Mcdavid is having a similar or better one, and has pretty much been a 100+ point player since entering the league.

Then again, this is the same section of the forum where people still refuse to believe Draisatl is a good player, who btw is tied in scoring with our 2 best players.

Draisatl, who is a product of Mcdavid, which must mean Mcdavid is even better than I thought if he's carrying a guy to 100 point seasons

he had 30 more points than Matthews last season and 4 less goals, in the same amount of games. Mcdavid is insane if he's doing that to him

 

[authentic]

No, I think McDavid and Crosby are better. Matthews is definitely one of the best pure goal scorers in the NHL though and one of the best players overall, but not the best, no.

Just to clarify, you think Crosby is better right now?

 

[Gallagbi]

You think people don't get to see enough McDavid? Really?

You're right, you can never see enough. He's too good

 

[BallardEra]

I honestly say who cares? The poster who said it's like Matthews is Ovie in the Crosby vs Ovie debate read my mind.

That's how I see it and who cares again. We need to appreciate the beast we have in Matthews like I did Ovie all these years.

I know that the Leafs can win a Cup with Matthews and that's all I care about.

Being a Leafs/Caps fan since 1982 I've seen and dealt with many heart breaking defeats. I said that I would die never having seen the Caps or Leafs win a Cup.

We are half way there. Now it's time for that Leafs Cup.

 

[Griffin76]

Gretzky > Lemieux (smallest gap imo)
Crosby > Ovechkin (biggest gap imo)
McDavid > Matthews

It just feels great to have a guy in the conversation to watch night in and night out really.

 

[Contenderorpretender]

What I see more than anything is marner has developed into a legitimate scoring threat which creates even more space on the ice. Matthews has always been an incredible scorer but what I absolutely love in his game this year has been on the defensive side and physicality. Both of these guys have taken a HUGE step forward in their game. I can confidently say they are earning their contracts.

 

[Morbo]

I mean, it is a stupid question.

As good of a season that Matthews is having, Mcdavid is having a similar or better one, and has pretty much been a 100+ point player since entering the league.

Then again, this is the same section of the forum where people still refuse to believe Draisatl is a good player, who btw is tied in scoring with our 2 best players.

Draisatl, who is a product of Mcdavid, which must mean Mcdavid is even better than I thought if he's carrying a guy to 100 point seasons

he had 30 more points than Matthews last season and 4 less goals, in the same amount of games. Mcdavid is insane if he's doing that to him

offensively. And the difference comes down to powerplay assists there.

 

[zeke]

McDavid is definitely the best in the world. If Matthews was scoring on a goal per game basis and playing like this for multiple seasons then I think a debate would be warranted.

Would have happened if anyone but Babcock coached him for his first 4 years.

Matthews is basically the Ovie in the Ovie vs Crosby debates.

Matthews is like Ovie... if Ovie was a center who was great defensively.

McDavid is like Crosby.... if Crosby was weak physically and played no defense.

 

[zeke]

Hypothetically, you are a GM of a new 16 team league and you're going to play 1 season with four best of seven playoff rounds. The winning team gets the Stanley Cup and splits $5Billion. If you win you walk away with $100 million
Let’s also assume everyone is healthy and you have the first pick, who are you taking?
I’m taking McDavid.

Given that PPs balance out in the playoffs, and McDavid would lose his huge PP TOI advantage, then Matthews would be the clear best choice.

 

[zeke]

Matthews: EV 0.61gpg, 1.11ppg --- PP 3:11toi, 0.39gpg, 0.50ppg
McDavid: EV 0.35gpg, 1.05ppg ---- PP 5:00toi, 0.25gpg, 0.80ppg

 

[HarrisonFord]

Matthews is like Ovie... if Ovie was a center who was great defensively.

McDavid is like Crosby.... if Crosby was weak physically and played no defense.

To be fair I wasn’t using that comparison to compare their exact play styles. I do think the gap between McDavid and Matthews is less than Ovie and Crosby.

 

[mallory67]

Let's not forget about the skinny kids who sets Matthews up and is ahead of him in the scoring race.
Oh, and is also incidentally leading the league in +/-

Matthews does not create ... he finishes. I think McDavid creates.

 

[zeke]

Matthews: EV 0.61gpg, 1.11ppg --- PP 3:11toi, 0.39gpg, 0.50ppg
McDavid: EV 0.35gpg, 1.05ppg ---- PP 5:00toi, 0.25gpg, 0.80ppg

Since Keefe became coach (66gms):

Matthews: EV 0.55gpg, 0.85ppg --- PP 3:07toi, 0.23gpg, 0.42ppg
McDavid: EV 0.36gpg, 0.84ppg ---- PP 4:17toi, 0.15gpg, 0.66ppg

 

[Mentat]

I couldn´t care less for that specific "title".
As long as Auston keeps scoring and improving on his 2 way game (big leap forward this season in that regard), we just need to sit back and enjoy the AM34 show. Those snipes are truly a thing of beauty and we are lucky to have him.
We need "this" Auston to make the playoffs and make a deep run.

 

[Ryan Michaels]

Since Keefe became coach (66gms):

Matthews: EV 0.55gpg, 0.85ppg --- PP 3:07toi, 0.23gpg, 0.42ppg
McDavid: EV 0.36gpg, 0.84ppg ---- PP 4:17toi, 0.15gpg, 0.66ppg

Just astounding how badly Babcock held Matthews back while hf Leafs posters gaslighted us with claims that we couldn't possibly see issues with coaching style. Like it was rocket science to play one of the best players on the planet more.

 

[zeke]

Just astounding how badly Babcock held Matthews back while hf Leafs posters gaslighted us with claims that we couldn't possibly see issues with coaching style. Like it was rocket science to play one of the best players on the planet more.

It was pretty much insane. Babcock lost his marbles.

 

[authentic]

Gretzky > Lemieux (smallest gap imo)
Crosby > Ovechkin (biggest gap imo)
McDavid > Matthews

It just feels great to have a guy in the conversation to watch night in and night out really.

For me it's Lemieux > Gretzky (hockey got a lot better from the 80s ~ 90s and Lemieux was a better goal and point producer at 35 after a 3.5 year retirement against stingy defense and butterfly goaltenders than Gretzky was at any point after 30 years of age, and he still has the peak seasons to match when healthy anyway)

Crosby > Ovechkin (at their peaks it's pretty close but outside of 3 seasons for Ovechkin it's Crosby all day)

McDavid > Matthews, but I'm undecided by how much at the moment. Time will tell.