Top 5 centers in the NHL?

[The List Of Jericho]

Welp looks like we'll add another one to the bucket.

Seriously, what does me being a Penguins fan have to do with anything? I'm not talking about Matthews vs Malkin or Matthews vs Crosby, I'm literally just talking about Matthews. What possible sort of bias goes against Matthews from me being a Penguins fan?

How about the notion that he received pity votes from "Leaf homers" without having any facts to go on. That's where your argument went real south and lost all credibility.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Dude, he missed PPG by 13 points your telling me he doesn't get that with Marner lol

I like how you're acting like 13 points is insignificant. Like that's no big deal, that's only like a 20% increase in production for Matthews.

Can't be that much of a pity vote when he scored more goals than any other centre accept Crosby. To me its more like "you scored more goals than any other player except Crosby and you have the most even strength goals in the league and you took your team to the playoffs while leading them in goals, so yeah, maybe your value to your team deserves a vote for most valuable player to his team"

Take out everything but "you took your team to the playoffs while leading them in goals" and I'd buy that. But that still makes it an incredibly weak argument when he got literally 7 votes for the Hart.

How about the notion that he received pity votes from "Leaf homers" without having any facts to go on. That's where your argument went real south and lost all credibility.

No, I said "how do you know that he didn't receive those votes from Leaf homers?". I wasn't discrediting his Hart finish based on Leafs homers voting for him, I was discrediting his hart finish being relevant because it's ****ing stupid to mention Hart votes when you got 7 Hart votes from unnamed sources. It's entirely possible that 7 Toronto based writers got to vote and they were the 7 guys who gave Matthews the votes there. Did that happen? No one will ever know, but it being such a small sample size and the possibility existing that it could have happened like that is exactly why it's meaningless. It's like mentioning Crosby is elite defensively because he has gotten a couple of 1st place votes for the Selke in the lsat 2 years.

Would this count as a strawman? I think it's close, I'll allow it into the bucket too.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

If folks want to argue Matthews is a Top-5 center in the league right now, they should probably stick with the arguments about his 40 goals or leading a young team to the playoffs. Focusing on him finishing 11th in Hart voting is about as strong an argument as saying Justin Schultz is without a doubt a top ten defenseman in the league because he finished 10th in Norris trophy voting.

 

[oconnor9sean]

Anyone that doesn't list Getzlaf goes to bed too early.

Anyone that doesn't list [insert east coast player] doesn't get off work in time enough to watch east coast games.

It goes both ways. That claim is dumb.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Crosby
McDavid
Malkin
Getzlaf
Matthews

Clear top 5 IMO.

Agree with this list

 

[Rick Nash 61]

Crosby
McDavid
Malkin
Backstrom
Getzlaf

This is the correct list.

 

[Husko]

Worth noting

 

[Koivu11]

1. Crosby
2. McDavid
3. Malkin
4. Stamkos
5. Getzlaf

 

[Snippit]

There's no decent argument you can make to argue the guy that finished 14th among centers in p/gp is a top 5 center. I mean, you'd have to value goals significanty more than assists...

Matthews may have been playing with Hyman, but at least he wasn't playing under Dan 'ES killer' Bylsma. Could always be worse.

 

[wizmet12]

1. Crosby
2. Malkin
3. Getzlaf
4. Carter
5. Stamkos

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

For me I'd say.

Crosby
McDavid
Malkin

As the easy top 3, but 4-5 gets tough to decide. I have Bergeron in there, but not sure if I'd have him 4 or 5. Probably 5. Seguin, Tavares are both close obviously, Backstrom, Getzlaf etc, but I think my 4-5 would be..

Tavares
Bergeron

 

[PatrikBerglund]

Crosby
McDavid
Backstrom
Malkin

Those four are easy. #5 is much harder.

 

[Donuts]

crosby
mcdavid
malkin

stamkos
tavares

 

[McJesusSaves97]

McDavid
Crosby
Malkin
Backstrom
Getzlaf
Bergeron
Matthews
Tavares
Scheifele
Eichel

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

lets do 10

Crosby
McDavid
Malkin
Backstrom
Getzlaf
Tavares
Bergeron
Stamkos
Giroux
Toews

 

[bigbabybuda]

Crosby
McDavid
Malkin
Tavares
Bergeron
Seguin
Getzlaf
Stamkos
Scheifele
Matthews
Backstrom
Kopitar
Eichel
Barkov
Toews

I have Matthews at 10 and he really could be anywhere from 4-15 reasonably. People arguing that a rookie who finished 2nd in goals scored (first in EV goals) while playing on a line with 2 other rookies and lead his team from last place to a playoff spot does not warrant being in the conversation are making complete fools out of themselves in this thread

 

[Trap Jesus]

Crosby, McDavid, Malkin, Bergeron and Getzlaf.

 

[Alivesi]

Why do certain people *cough* keep bringing up the fact that Matthews was a rookie last season, when this is a thread about top 5 centers...

 

[stepdad gaary]

Crosby
Malkin
McDavid
Backstrom
Scheifele

 

[Willy Stylez]

Crosby
Mcdavid
Malkin
Getzlaf
Backstrom

 

[StumpyTown]

Hey, Matthews band-wagoners...
He will be a top 5 center in the NHL, maybe in 2 years or so, but statistically he is no where near that yet.

The only statistic where he placed in the top 5 was goals.

In Points per game played he ranked 13th.
In Assists he ranked 49th.
In Plus/Minus he ranked 60th.
...

If you were to be making a list of the 5 centers with the highest potential ceiling he would be #2 for me behind only McDavid(It's scary how much better this kid may get)

 

[McDavidCrushedLarkin]

There's no decent argument you can make to argue the guy that finished 14th among centers in p/gp is a top 5 center. I mean, you'd have to value goals significanty more than assists...

Matthews may have been playing with Hyman, but at least he wasn't playing under Dan 'ES killer' Bylsma. Could always be worse.

Its become good for entertainment value anyway. Its like like the little boy always trying to be like his more talented big brother. One day maybe.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

It's hilarious that there is somebody arguing that Matthews' pity Hart votes are an argument in his favor. They're completely irrelevant. How desperate can you be.

 

[JetsHomer]

McDavid
Crosby
Malkin
Backstrom
Getzlaf
Bergeron
Matthews
Tavares
Scheifele
Eichel

How exactly is Matthews better than Scheifele when Scheifele faces far tougher minutes and managed 13 more points in 3 less games?

 

[hagelin1381]

Crosby
McDavid
Malkin
Getzlaf
Bergeron

Hard to pick 5.. You could put guys like Backstrom in at 5 and i wouldn't argue it too much