Here’s my thing. I kinda rank them as
Generational- Don’t see these people that often.
Franchise- Someone you want to build your franchise around.
Elite- Great players that are at the top of the league.
Then whatever
Generational: Crosby, McDavid
Franchise: Tavares, Malkin, Karlsson (Boarderline generational), Doughty, Stamkos, Kucherov, Tarasenko, and probably a couple more.
Elite: Eichel, Matthews, Laine, Giroux, Seguin, Schiefele, Hall, Hedman, and you get the idea...
Generational gets thrown around like a French whore right now. It’s so overused. Matthews is nothing more than an elite player... and that’s not being derogatory to him. Comparing him to Tavares right now doesn’t accomplish anything.
Value wise may be a wash. Matthews with his potential and age make him more valuable to a rebuilding team or a team just coming out of that stage. Tavares is the better player no question. He makes any team much much better.