The numbers are precise and specific. Lowry has faced 3rd line competition this year.
3rd line on average, true. Not exclusively 3rd line. Since November, Lowry's played 1st line competition as often as Maurice can match him up against them, and he's been similarly successful.
But overall, 3rd line competition, yes.
now ask yourself how is it possible that a crap player like hyman is producing similar even strength stats as the great blake wheeler.
I'm not a Leafs expert, but I guess the main reason is that he plays with Matthews and Nylander?
Fact: Hyman is a productive and positive contributor to one of the best even strength lines in hockey..
Oh man. OK, let's look at this.
First off, Hyman's not especially productive, compared to his usual linemates.
5v5 P/60: Matthews 2.86, Nylander 2.52, Hyman 1.76
Compare that to the Jets 1st line: Connor 2.41, Scheifele 2.23, Wheeler 2.09
The Jets line's production is balanced within about 15% of its least productive forward (Wheeler), while Matthews outproduces Hyman by over 60% and Nylander outproduces Hyman by over 40%. That makes Hyman look like a passenger, in terms of his production.
Hyman has played almost his entire career with Matthews -- 1046 5v5 min with Matthews and only 646 5v5 min without. Here's the WOWY since Matthews was drafted in 2016:
Hyman with Matthews (2016-18): 51.4% CF%, 58.9% GF%
Hyman without Matthews (2016-18): 47.1% CF%, 41.7% GF%
Here's what Hyman's done 5v5 with other Leaf centres, dating back to 2015 when available:
Hyman with Kadri: 84 min, 47.7% CF%, 28.5% GF%
Hyman with Bozak: 64 min, 44.3% CF%, 0% GF%
Hyman with Plekanec: 22 min, 44.2% CF%, 40% GF%
Hyman with Moore: 24 min, 47% CF%, 0% GF%
Hyman with Komarov: 48 min, 27.0% CF%, 33.3% GF%
Small sample sizes, yes -- but if your claim is that Hyman plays a significant part of the Leafs top line's success, and that that success is all the more impressive because they've faced top competition, it doesn't make sense that Hyman's had so little success otherwise, even playing against bottom 6 QoC with Komarov, Bozak, Plekanec and Moore.
It's almost like a hard working, low skill forechecking winger will rise and fall on the quality of his linemates, as much or more than the quality of his competition. Hyman doesn't drive his line like Wheeler does (Wheeler played 1C for the Jets for over a month, with Scheifele out -- I'd like to see Hyman try that!), or like Lowry does in a bottom 6 role, so Hyman shouldn't get much credit for their success.
It's especially ironic to use Hyman's role as Matthews' winger as a point in a debate about young depth forwards. Hyman's success has nothing to do with being a depth forward, and what Hyman would do as a depth forward (if he actually played that role, which he doesn't) wouldn't be so successful (because he wouldn't be playing with Matthews).
Look, stats aside -- we all know the Leafs 1st line isn't one of the best even strength lines in hockey because of Zach Hyman. It's because Auston Matthews is one of the best even strength players in hockey. The Leafs could play a pushbroom glued to a Roomba on Matthews' left wing and the Roomba would put up 20 even strength points just from having the puck bounce off it on the way to Matthews a couple of times per shift.
Giving Hyman credit for the success of the Leafs 1st line, and pretending that the shot metrics, point production and QoC for that line have a lot to do with him is like giving Ringo a lot of the credit for the Beatles. The band had great success, and he was in the band, but it's not like their success happened
because he was in the band.