The Mighty Auston Matthews

[IPS]

Another quote of mine from March 2018

I wouldn't stop at just Hyman.

It was disgusting how little PP time Matthews got last year. And it was infuriating watching the cheerleaders justify it. Like, you play your best offensive players on the PP, no ifs ands or buts. Unreal how this even needed to be explained, it's hockey 101. Part of the reason Matthews may not have signed in the off-season may be cause he knew our moron coach was artifically suppressing his production. Look around the league, how many team's have their best offensive player NOT playing on PP1?

 

[IPS]

I am so triggered at how the media just wants to tear Auston Matthews away from Toronto. Just now on Prime Time Sports they were having a roundtable discussing a potential offersheet from Arizona and how he can turn that franchise around. **** off, just **** off.

Was there a roundtable discusssion about a potential offersheet to McDavid from Toronto?

This media, I swear to f***ing god.

 

[666]

Baring injury 50 goals this year by awesome Austin seems like a safe bet.

Looks like Auston is going to be a serious contender for the Rocket race this year.

It should be noted that Marleau had 13 points in his first 5 games in 2012 and ended up with only 18 more in the next 43 games of the shorted season. Anyone know what happened there?

 

[BertCorbeau]

I wouldn't stop at just Hyman.

It was disgusting how little PP time Matthews got last year. And it was infuriating watching the cheerleaders justify it. Like, you play your best offensive players on the PP, no ifs ands or buts. Unreal how this even needed to be explained, it's hockey 101. Part of the reason Matthews may not have signed in the off-season may be cause he knew our moron coach was artifically suppressing his production. Look around the league, how many team's have their best offensive player NOT playing on PP1?

And it's eye roll worthy to see people continually beat this horse to death about last year's PP and Matthews as a means to hate on Babcock.

Consider that the best PP in the last 25 years appears to be Washington's in 2012/2013, reviewing the PP leaders over the last 5 years plus this article (Shining a light on some lesser-known NHL records) published in 2012:

Nashville was tops in power-play percentage last season at 21.9, and no team in the last two decades has exceeded 26 percent.

That following season Washington hit 26.8% on the PP. It's a leap to suggest that Matthews' on the #1 unit would have propelled that much beyond that mark.

Last year the Leafs PP was 24.9%, 2nd in the league. Based on their 225 opportunities last year, that would have produced a whopping 4 additional goals over the course of this season.

In short - it wasn't an issue. It's making a mountain out of a molehill to push this anti-Babcock narrative.

And trying to use this year's PP as a basis to show how good last year's could have been is a fruitless exercise because of how good JVR was last year on the PP.

 

[IPS]

And it's eye roll worthy to see people continually beat this horse to death about last year's PP and Matthews as a means to hate on Babcock.

Consider that the best PP in the last 25 years appears to be Washington's in 2012/2013, reviewing the PP leaders over the last 5 years plus this article (Shining a light on some lesser-known NHL records) published in 2012:

.

I have no idea why anyone would even attempt to justify something that stupid. Best offensive player on the Leafs and one of the best in the league and he only gets 2:00 of PP time and it's not even with our best playmaker.

Look Bert I honestly don't care that you defend Babcock at every turn. Just don't label me as a "hater" when it turns out I was right all along.

Nothing personal, we're just talking hockey here. I haven't been a babcock fan since the start and I won't stop calling out his stupid decisions, regardless if it hurts feelings.

 

[BertCorbeau]

I have no idea why anyone would even attempt to justify something that stupid. Best offensive player on the Leafs and one of the best in the league and he only gets 2:00 of PP time and it's not even with our best playmaker.

Look Bert I honestly don't care that you defend Babcock at every turn. Just don't label me as a "hater" when it turns out I was right all along.

Nothing personal, we're just talking hockey here. I haven't been a babcock fan since the start and I won't stop calling out his stupid decisions, regardless if it hurts feelings.

I don't defend Babcock at every turn, I just don't make a stink about decisions of his that I disagree with. I accept that fact that every coach has their nuances about how they run the team and that bitching and moaning about it will do nothing to change that.

At the end of the day it's about the results. And you've got nothing to prove you're "right" - that the PP would have been definitively been more productive last season with Matthews'. I'm arguing that they would have marginally been more effective, which is still quite good, but nothing to complain about. And I've back that up with some stats.

 

[TDK67]

It should be noted that Marleau had 13 points in his first 5 games in 2012 and ended up with only 18 more in the next 43 games of the shorted season. Anyone know what happened there?

He was 33 years old and not as good as Matthews?

 

[IPS]

I don't defend Babcock at every turn, I just don't make a stink about decisions of his that I disagree with. I accept that fact that every coach has their nuances about how they run the team and that *****ing and moaning about it will do nothing to change that.

At the end of the day it's about the results. And you've got nothing to prove you're "right" - that the PP would have been definitively been more productive last season with Matthews'. I'm arguing that they would have marginally been more effective, which is still quite good, but nothing to complain about. And I've back that up with some stats.

What, this?

That following season Washington hit 26.8% on the PP. It's a leap to suggest that Matthews' on the #1 unit would have propelled that much beyond that mark.

Last year the Leafs PP was 24.9%, 2nd in the league. Based on their 225 opportunities last year, that would have produced a whopping 4 additional goals over the course of this season.

Bert, you don't just look at something like this and apply that sort of linear reasoning to it. With Matthews on the 1st PP, it would have gave a more dangerous look with more options. In the Boston series, they shut our PP right the f*** down, and made it look easy. Key on the right side and cut off the short-passing lanes to Kadri and JVR, done and done. In the regular season teams don't plan it to that extent because it's only one game, but in a playoff series it will get broken down to the molecule. Boston clearly did this and our coaching staff made very little adjustments. However, with Matthews on that 1st unit, it would have gave an entirely different outlet to create things since Marner was keyed on had. It honestly could have been the difference between us losing or winning the series.

With the linear reasoning you used, there wouldn't be much of a difference between the 15th ranked PP and the 1st ranked PP. That is not the case at all. A team's mentality can shift completely depending on who they play. When you play a team like Carolina, it's really not the end of the world when you take a penalty as their PP isn't that good. When you play Pittsburgh however, it shifts the whole dynamic. Players will think twice before going for that extra hit or stick check because they will slaughter you on the PP.

When all is said and done, when you have a superstar like Matthews, you don't short them on PP time. A young superstar like Matthews wants to be the best in the world, and when you want to be the best you need to get the minutes to show that you're the best. Imagine Matthews looking around the league and seeing his PP time compared to his peers. If you honestly think that this doesn't frustrate players, think again.


Anyway I apologize for the long-winded rant, just a few things I've been meaning to say for awhile. I'll make a point to avoid bringing any of this up in the future cause it really doesn't mean shit now. Matthews has his spot on PP1 locked up and won't be going anywhere now.

 

[CanadasTeam]

I love Matthews, but there's one player I'd pick over him...and that's McDavid.

 

[CanadasTeam]

I can't believe how good he is and I can't believe we have him

 

[CanadasTeam]

You hand Matthews a blank cheque. The Leafs are going to have no leverage after he scores 70 this year.

 

[CanadasTeam]

It's an absolute joke that Babcock made Marleau an assitant captain. He's closer to a healthy scratch than a team leader.

 

[CanadasTeam]

Jet fan coming in peace...enjoyed the debating in their rookie year but I've been around long enough to know that Matthews was always the better all round player with Laine's shot being his one advantage. I think that advantage has all but disappeared.

Kudos to Matthews...he's one heck of a player, you guys are so lucky to have him! That #91 ain't too shabby either.

 

[CanadasTeam]

I don't defend Babcock at every turn, I just don't make a stink about decisions of his that I disagree with. I accept that fact that every coach has their nuances about how they run the team and that *****ing and moaning about it will do nothing to change that.

At the end of the day it's about the results. And you've got nothing to prove you're "right" - that the PP would have been definitively been more productive last season with Matthews'. I'm arguing that they would have marginally been more effective, which is still quite good, but nothing to complain about. And I've back that up with some stats.

 

[BertCorbeau]

What, this?



Bert, you don't just look at something like this and apply that sort of linear reasoning to it. With Matthews on the 1st PP, it would have gave a more dangerous look with more options. In the Boston series, they shut our PP right the **** down, and made it look easy. Key on the right side and cut off the short-passing lanes to Kadri and JVR, done and done. In the regular season teams don't plan it to that extent because it's only one game, but in a playoff series it will get broken down to the molecule. Boston clearly did this and our coaching staff made very little adjustments. However, with Matthews on that 1st unit, it would have gave an entirely different outlet to create things since Marner was keyed on had. It honestly could have been the difference between us losing or winning the series.

With the linear reasoning you used, there wouldn't be much of a difference between the 15th ranked PP and the 1st ranked PP. That is not the case at all. A team's mentality can shift completely depending on who they play. When you play a team like Carolina, it's really not the end of the world when you take a penalty as their PP isn't that good. When you play Pittsburgh however, it shifts the whole dynamic. Players will think twice before going for that extra hit or stick check because they will slaughter you on the PP.

When all is said and done, when you have a superstar like Matthews, you don't short them on PP time. A young superstar like Matthews wants to be the best in the world, and when you want to be the best you need to get the minutes to show that you're the best. Imagine Matthews looking around the league and seeing his PP time compared to his peers. If you honestly think that this doesn't frustrate players, think again.


Anyway I apologize for the long-winded rant, just a few things I've been meaning to say for awhile. I'll make a point to avoid bringing any of this up in the future cause it really doesn't mean **** now. Matthews has his spot on PP1 locked up and won't be going anywhere now.

And I've said my piece on this whole thing, so no need to keep going on about last year.

 

[bluewhiteblue]

Matthews hasn't scored a single point tonight. Bust!

 

[PuckMagi]

I wouldn't stop at just Hyman.

It was disgusting how little PP time Matthews got last year. And it was infuriating watching the cheerleaders justify it. Like, you play your best offensive players on the PP, no ifs ands or buts. Unreal how this even needed to be explained, it's hockey 101. Part of the reason Matthews may not have signed in the off-season may be cause he knew our moron coach was artifically suppressing his production. Look around the league, how many team's have their best offensive player NOT playing on PP1?

Exactly. We had back to back first round exits. Maybe Matthews on the number 1 PP would have gotten us past the first round. Maybe Matthews with someone other than Hyman would have gotten us past the first round.

Sure, our PP was good last year at 25%. But it would have been better with Matthews. No doubt about it.

Sure, Matthews scoring at a 40 goal pace is good with Hyman on hist LW... but it could be even better with someone else.

This is the stuff people like us have been wanting to see for 2 years now... Matthews on the #1 PP and on a line without Hyman. And as soon as that happened... BOOM... 9 goals, 12 points, in 5 games. Obviously he wont keep this pace up all year... but he could get a LOT of goals... maybe 70+, 80+... who knows? He's not even playing with our best wingers right now. Put Matthews with Marner and then we'll see some real crazy stuff.

 

[Liminality]

You're having too much fun with those.

 

[Leafs1993]

I think Auston Matthews is destined to score 2 goals a game for the rest of his career.



Seriously though, he needs more hat-tricks.

 

[lovemyleafs]

That Hatty is long overdue. It's coming...

 

[IPS]

Exactly. We had back to back first round exits. Maybe Matthews on the number 1 PP would have gotten us past the first round. Maybe Matthews with someone other than Hyman would have gotten us past the first round.

Sure, our PP was good last year at 25%. But it would have been better with Matthews. No doubt about it.

Sure, Matthews scoring at a 40 goal pace is good with Hyman on hist LW... but it could be even better with someone else.

This is the stuff people like us have been wanting to see for 2 years now... Matthews on the #1 PP and on a line without Hyman. And as soon as that happened... BOOM... 9 goals, 12 points, in 5 games. Obviously he wont keep this pace up all year... but he could get a LOT of goals... maybe 70+, 80+... who knows? He's not even playing with our best wingers right now. Put Matthews with Marner and then we'll see some real crazy stuff.

If I'm being 100% honest, I still want Marner with Matthews even with Tavares on the team. It just seems like a match made in heaven.

Matthews will 100% become the best player in Leafs history IMO. It's imperative that we maximize his potential. There's no need whatsoever for nonsense limitations to be placed on Matthews.

I've heard some posters go on about how Matthews production needs to be limited because of his upcoming contract? What in god's name do people think goes on in these negotiations? You can't just tell your coach to cut the ice-time and PP-time of your generational talent so you can get him nice and cheap. The very first thing his agent will bring up in negotiations will be that exactly. I'll bet every cent I have that Matthews' agent has communicated this loud and clearly to the Leafs brass. I'm thinking that little "talk" that Matthews and Babcock had in Arizona addressed this exactly, he told him that if there's any more f***ing around with his minutes and usage there will be serious problems.

 

[stickty111]

And it's eye roll worthy to see people continually beat this horse to death about last year's PP and Matthews as a means to hate on Babcock.

Consider that the best PP in the last 25 years appears to be Washington's in 2012/2013, reviewing the PP leaders over the last 5 years plus this article (Shining a light on some lesser-known NHL records) published in 2012:



That following season Washington hit 26.8% on the PP. It's a leap to suggest that Matthews' on the #1 unit would have propelled that much beyond that mark.

Last year the Leafs PP was 24.9%, 2nd in the league. Based on their 225 opportunities last year, that would have produced a whopping 4 additional goals over the course of this season.

In short - it wasn't an issue. It's making a mountain out of a molehill to push this anti-Babcock narrative.

And trying to use this year's PP as a basis to show how good last year's could have been is a fruitless exercise because of how good JVR was last year on the PP.

I don't defend Babcock at every turn, I just don't make a stink about decisions of his that I disagree with. I accept that fact that every coach has their nuances about how they run the team and that *****ing and moaning about it will do nothing to change that.

At the end of the day it's about the results. And you've got nothing to prove you're "right" - that the PP would have been definitively been more productive last season with Matthews'. I'm arguing that they would have marginally been more effective, which is still quite good, but nothing to complain about. And I've back that up with some stats.

Perfectly correct.

 

[Daisy Jane]

I don't defend Babcock at every turn, I just don't make a stink about decisions of his that I disagree with. I accept that fact that every coach has their nuances about how they run the team and that *****ing and moaning about it will do nothing to change that.

At the end of the day it's about the results. And you've got nothing to prove you're "right" - that the PP would have been definitively been more productive last season with Matthews'. I'm arguing that they would have marginally been more effective, which is still quite good, but nothing to complain about. And I've back that up with some stats.

exactly.
and exactly again.

 

[hector morrison]

I wouldn't stop at just Hyman.

It was disgusting how little PP time Matthews got last year. And it was infuriating watching the cheerleaders justify it. Like, you play your best offensive players on the PP, no ifs ands or buts. Unreal how this even needed to be explained, it's hockey 101. Part of the reason Matthews may not have signed in the off-season may be cause he knew our moron coach was artifically suppressing his production. Look around the league, how many team's have their best offensive player NOT playing on PP1?

It did appear as you say,but,the PP was top notch without him. Leaving him fresh ! The Hyman thing bothered me more,he got in the way more than anything,wasn't a threat to score and didn't backcheck!

 

[Daisy Jane]

Exactly. We had back to back first round exits. Maybe Matthews on the number 1 PP would have gotten us past the first round. Maybe Matthews with someone other than Hyman would have gotten us past the first round.

Sure, our PP was good last year at 25%. But it would have been better with Matthews. No doubt about it.

Sure, Matthews scoring at a 40 goal pace is good with Hyman on hist LW... but it could be even better with someone else.

This is the stuff people like us have been wanting to see for 2 years now... Matthews on the #1 PP and on a line without Hyman. And as soon as that happened... BOOM... 9 goals, 12 points, in 5 games. Obviously he wont keep this pace up all year... but he could get a LOT of goals... maybe 70+, 80+... who knows? He's not even playing with our best wingers right now. Put Matthews with Marner and then we'll see some real crazy stuff.

it's not like the 2nd powerplay unit was the 4th line though. he wasn't good on the second powerplay. it's okay to say it and accept it. He's awesome right now (it will be interesting to see how he is once the shooting percentage goes down). so you can't say it would have been better with Matthews and have no doubt, because he wasn't that hot on the 2nd. so why just automatically assume he'd be peachy keene on the 1st?

and Hyman is doing a lot for the Tavares/Marner line who is also pretty darn hot right now. just saying.