Much as it pains me to say it, there's no question Matthews is a more responsible player than Pasta. I do think it's important to acknowledge though that the former is a center and the latter isn't. By definition a center has to protect the puck more and has a greater defensive role. Which isn't to say that a winger can just float and do what they like, no matter who they are, but they are typically given a little more latitude to make risky plays and lean further into the risk/reward zone. So the two players aren't directly comparable.
That said, I have long wished that Pasta would giveaway the puck less and not a few of the plays he attempts have vanishingly low chances of paying off. There's clever ambition, and then there's absurdity or sheer laziness. In the end though, I put whatever fault there is for this on the coaches more than the player. The coaches have proved either unable or unwilling to change the way Pasta plays. Perhaps they are right to do so - it may be that if you take away his 'free spirit' or whatever then you'd damage what makes him so dangerous. Either way, pretty safe to say I think that it's not changing now.
