David Pastrnak or Auston Matthews?

[Mrb1p]

So far Matthews averages 75 points per full season while Pastrnak averages 65, and the latter plays with Bergeron and Marchand. I honestly don't see how this is even a debate.

Nice, you're taking in the first two seasons in which Pasta didn't play much under Julien, that's fair.

 

[Mrb1p]

Every year there is a guy who unexpectedly steps up, this year it' Pasternak. This is just a byproduct of that series and how poorly the Leafs are playing. Throw Pasternak into the Vegas/LA series and see how his stats look.

Have you taken a look at Pastrnak stats line since 2016 ? 6 less points than Ovi in 10 less games... He's a top 10 offensive producer right now, Matthews is not that.

 

[Mrb1p]

It’s a compliment to him really that he’s compared to every star under 25. I think he does it with less help, too (excluding Mackinnon, McDavid and Barzal).

Here it's less help, in the next thread its Marner is better than Hischier, Nylander is better than Point and Rantanen, in the other Rielly is better than Weber...

Which is it ? Is it a great team with elite players or a bad team with Matthews ? Can't have both.

 

[BlueBaron]

He used victim card wrong; if he had quoted your post about how the OP is out to get your fanbase because he hates the Leafs then he would have a better point. However, it doesn't look like he was off the mark by saying your post was arrogant. The bolded sounds pretty arrogant to me, no?

His behaviour might be dubious in your opinion, but then you to go on to assume that all people who act "dubiously" would rather live like children, with a life void of consequence? Of course you provide a nice solution by saying that these people could stop the dubious patterns if they simply found some personal growth and maturity? But naturally, it is doubtful that they will ever grow or be mentally mature.​

Right - that's quite the psychological profile that you drew from a few posts in an on-line forum. He could be quite a nice person, maybe he comes on here for kicks or jokes. You've never rubbed some people the wrong way? That passive-aggressive post doesn't come out and say, "I'm better than you", but it comes about as close as it can and it sure is haughty.

Well if you followed the entire chain you would see why. Guy make petty insult to team, gets called on it, responds with victim card nonsense. He may very well be a nice guy but he certainly does not like being called on his constant bashing of the Leafs. If you're going to actively harass a fan base then expect to have your behaviour pointed out because is demonstrates an agenda and a bias.

Thanks for calling me a hotty though

 

[Critical13]

Here it's less help, in the next thread its Marner is better than Hischier, Nylander is better than Point and Rantanen, in the other Rielly is better than Weber...

Which is it ? Is it a great team with elite players or a bad team with Matthews ? Can't have both.

Nylander I don’t agree with but the others I do. Reality is he has no Wheeler, no Bergeron and Marchand, no Stamkos. He has no vets to lean on. How many of his peers on playoff teams need to be the best player most nights for their teams to win?

 

[Healthy DiPietro]

Nice, you're taking in the first two seasons in which Pasta didn't play much under Julien, that's fair.

Taking just this season doesn't make much of a difference, Matthews still produced more per game with worse support.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

You always ALWAYS take the franchise center over the winger

 

[McVespa99]

Matthews easily. Marner vs Pastrnak would have been a better poll.

If by better you mean one where the Leafs player gets 0 votes then yes you are correct

 

[McVespa99]

I would say Pasta is the better player now but Matthews would be the one I would choose going forward due to position

 

[Maplebeasts]

Matthews. Better goal scorer, produces points at a higher rate than Pastrnak without playing third fiddle to Bergeron and Marchand. Plays the more valuable position while being 2 development years behind. Easy choice.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

aren't you the victim though? That big scary Toronto media shows too much Matthews! How dare they subject you to that! Put your cape on and hit the message boards, make sure all leafs fans are put in their place!

You're a hero! Thank you for your service against the bad guys. Now that you've won, maybe you can retire on a beach somewhere and rest your tired old wrists.

Uh huh. What’s the point of this post?

 

[Namikaze Minato]

Uh huh. What’s the point of this post?

The same point in any post you make in a leafs related thread.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

The same point in any post you make in a leafs related thread.

That didn’t answer my question, but thanks for trying.

 

[Namikaze Minato]

That didn’t answer my question, but thanks for trying.

You're welcome.

 

[nobody]

Auston is head and shoulders above Pasta. He's the main offensive guy on the team and has been supporting rookies (last year) and sophomores (this year) on his line since he walked into the NHL and he's done nothing but turn the team into a consistent playoff contender but he's also the core piece of one of the best young lines in hockey.

Pasta is a fantastic player and I do agree that he would be better compared to Marner on the Leafs because both those guys are big point producers. That said, not a single player on the Leafs has the luxury of being sheltered by Marchand, Bergeron and Krejci. Pasta is in a perfect situation as a young guy right now because he's insulated by some of the best vets and still top players in the game. I think once the likes of Bergeron and Marchand start fading we'll have a better gauge of just how good this kid is. Similar to Ehlers, Laine, Connor. All are fantastic players but they're heavily sheltered by top notch vets (which is a positive thing for their development). Once they have to step up to the plate as the main guys that have to carry the team (like Auston and Mitch), I think we get a much more accurate comparison.

I could argue that you can put a guy like Willie Nylander in that exact same spot with Bergeron and Marchand and he would be putting up numbers just as good. But their roles and development paths are different. Willie IMO is a better offensive guy than Pasta but Pasta plays a better overall game and is more consistent in his play. If Pasta was forced on a young team and told to be THE GUY or one of the guys along with other rookies who have to step up to the plate for the sake of team success, who knows what he would look like right now?

Auston trails only one player in the league atm when it comes to impact on his team for this generation and that player is Connor McDavid. The only other players that I would even remotely think stand a chance against Auston are Jack Eichel (again, another kid who has had to carry the weight of the franchise from day 1 and has done it exceptionally) and arguably Sasha Barkov. Guys like Pasta, Drai etc are a tier below.

With that said, I would easily take Pasta or Drai over a guy like Laine any given day because as good as Laine is as a player, he's an elite triggerman who can't carry his weight if he had to be the main guy. Pasta and Drai from what I've seen so far are capable of running their own lines and making players around them better. Though 1 can argue that Laine probably makes players on his line better on the PP unit too.

 

[Plural]

Matthews. Pasta is awesome but I take Matthews without thinking twice.

 

[WillTheThrill]

Why is this still open?

 

[b in vancouver]

This is like comparing Eric Staal to Marion Gaborik 10 years ago.

I think Pastrnak is probably the more talented of the two while Matthews can impact the game more.
One thing is that I didn't think Pasta was built to take the physical play once teams started keying in on him (like I have concerns with Marner) but he has been proving me wrong and it hasn't effected his play.

Deciding factor is Pastrnak's perpetual smile as he doesn't hide how much he loves the game and hey,

 

[BostonBruins11]

It's interesting how both Marchand and Bergeron production has gone up as soon as Pastrnak joined their line .......

 

[The Podium]

Not including the playoffs (mainly games 1 and 2), Pastrnak at an older age has produced less than Matthews, playing on a line with probably the 2 best 2way players in the game giving him freedom to do whatever he wants. Matthews has the added task of playing C, being defensively responsible, and is the main driver of his line.

Anyone who chooses Pastrnak has a recency bias or anti-leaf bias.