Is Auston Matthews still a top 5 player in the world?

[SeanMoneyHands]

I would think he no longer is.

 

[M88K]

He never was though. So weird poll

 

[GlitchMarner]

He never was though. So weird poll

He probably was the year he won the Hart.

I don't think he is now.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I've knocked him to top ten because of health reasons. Needs to get healthy if he wants to maintain superstar status.

 

[centipede2233]

Factoring in down season, and playoff resume, he is a top 25 player today. Let’s see if I can come up with as many players better or at least more valuable to him (no caphit consideration)

In no order just random

1.Mcdavid
2.Drasaitl
3.Makar
4.Q.Hughes
5.N.MacKinnon
6.Heiskanen
7.Morrisey
8.hellebyuck
9.Kucherov
10.Point
11.K.Connor
12.Barkov
13.Tkachuk
14.Crosby
15.Kaprizov
16.Eichel
17.Pasternak
18.Dahlin
19.Rantanen

I’d have matthews at around 20-25

 

[Fatass]

I would think he no longer is.

Was he ever considered top five?

 

[M88K]

He probably was the year he won the Hart.

I don't think he is now.

Not really. His goal scoring that season was something else, but he was still behind
McDavid
Driasaitl
Kucherov
Mackinnon
Makar
Hedman
Josi
That year.

 

[HFpapi]

There's zero argument for him being in the Kucherov/Mackinnon'Draisaitl tier anymore like he was once considered part of.

Those 3:

1) Don't have down seasons
2) Aren't always injured (tho granted Kuch did miss an entire season)
3) Mostly importantly, those 3 are massive playoff performers in contrast to AM who isn't even just average but shrinks away into irrelevancy.

He also has zero argument against Conn Smythe winner and (soon to be) 2x Norris winner Makar. So no, he is absolutely not a top 5 player. This is all coming from a Leafs fan btw.

That said, people are going to (as always on HF) swing the pendulum way too far the other direction. He's a 2x 60+ goal scorer, a Hart winner, a 3x Rocket winner. He's a top 10 player. There aren't many players who can conceivably win the Hart next year. Matthews is one of them that can.

 

[Regal]

Not really. His goal scoring that season was something else, but he was still behind
McDavid
Driasaitl
Kucherov
Mackinnon
Makar
Hedman
Josi
That year.

Just within that year? That’s a bit ridiculous.

 

[M88K]

Just within that year? That’s a bit ridiculous.

No it's not. Taylor Hall has a Hart too, and at to point in his career has he ever been top 5, including that season.
Same applies to Matthews. Top 10, sure you could make an argument, but there's no argument for top 5 that isn't driven by bias, hell it's debatable that he's the best player on his own team a lot of years

 

[wetcoast]

Just within that year? That’s a bit ridiculous.

It's silly season now it seems.

 

[wetcoast]

No it's not. Taylor Hall has a Hart too, and at to point in his career has he ever been top 5, including that season.
Same applies to Matthews. Top 10, sure you could make an argument, but there's no argument for top 5 that isn't driven by bias, hell it's debatable that he's the best player on his own team a lot of years

Taylor Hall is a really bad example but then again lots of bad examples about AM lately.

 

[hockey20000]

i dont think he ever was top 5? borderline top 5 maybe.. he was a top 10 guy in his peak with borline 5-6th best player

 

[wetcoast]

Voted top 10 as that's closer than tip 25 or top 50 but not too 5.

Also piols like this would be easier to separate forwards from Dmen and Goalies.

 

[Xspyrit]

He was never Top-5 outside of Leafs enthusiasts. I have him just outside the Top-10

McDavid
MacKinnon
Draisaitl
Kucherov
Makar
Barkov
Kaprizov
Pastrnak
Eichel
Q. Hughes
Rantanen