Is Auston Matthews still a top 5 player in the world? | Page 4 | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League

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

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

  • Yes he is

    Votes: 17 6.4%
  • No but he's top 10

    Votes: 126 47.7%
  • No he's not even top 10

    Votes: 74 28.0%
  • No but he's top 25

    Votes: 35 13.3%
  • No but he's top 50

    Votes: 12 4.5%

  • Total voters
    264
Reading these lists I think he’s clearly gone from overrated to underrated. He’s not top 5 imo primarily because of his playoff performances but he’s clearly top 10. I’d like to see him healthy again but he’s won some Rockets, a Hart, and a Lindsay and he’s got some Selke votes.
Nah, Top 25 players should be the best players regular season & playoffs. If you are useless come April, you aren't among the elite group of players. I don't care how many goals you score on a regular season Tuesday night against Columbus or Anaheim.
 
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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

Where's Scheifele, Ehlers, and Pionk !?? :huh::huh::huh:
 
Nah, Top 25 players should be the best players regular season & playoffs. If you are useless come April, you aren't among the elite group of players. I don't care how many goals you score on a regular season Tuesday night against Columbus or Anaheim.
Exactly! Matthews or Bennett? Obviously we all take Matthews. But what about in the playoffs?
This poll needs an option that says Matthews was never top five.
 
Healthy Matthews scoring 69 goals and playing a 200 ft game is easily a top 5 player, I can’t really argue against that. The problem is that resolving chronic back issues is easier said than done.

It’ll also be interesting to see how he does witthour Marner on his wing now.
Do playoffs not count?
 
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Healthy Matthews scoring 69 goals and playing a 200 ft game definately is up there, I can’t really argue against that. The problem is that resolving chronic back issues is easier said than done.

It’ll also be interesting to see how he does witthour Marner on his wing now.
He never played a 200 ft game, he's capable of doing one or the other, not both. When he's playing defensive he stops scoring, when he's scoring he's cheating defense.

Matthews scored more empty goals than any goal scorer I've ever seen. The guy has a knack for scoring goals in games the Leafs were probably going to win regardless, and disappearing when you really need him to show up.

His stats were always impressive, I'd say they made him an undisputed top 10 player for a while. But if you're a top 5 player I'm expecting you to impact and influence games regularly more than Matthews would even in his prime. Matthews is style over substance to a T, never played a winning brand of hockey.
 
Which years? He hasnt been better than Mcdavid, Kucherov, Mackinnon or Draisaitl consistently at any point of his career. Makar has been elite for 6 years. When Matthews entered the league he wasnt better than Crosby.

Matthews won a hart and was #2 in hart voting while being a Pearson finalist and a Pearson winner in consecutive seasons.

Maybe start there?
 
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Matthews won a hart and was #2 in hart voting while being a Pearson finalist and a Pearson winner in consecutive seasons.

Maybe start there?
In one season all those other guys have those trophies and did it in the playoffs. So no he has never been a top 5 player. Maybe start there you know the playoffs and winning cups/going deep. That matters.
 
In one season all those other guys have those trophies and did it in the playoffs. So no he has never been a top 5 player. Maybe start there you know the playoffs and winning cups/going deep. That matters.

Matthews was a top one or two player - as evaluated by the media and the players - for two straight seasons - 125 straight games. In the playoffs during those seasons he was a PPG. So you are suggesting that him being merely pretty good for 14 playoff games somehow wipes away MVP caliber play for 125 games.

Add in the 2019 season and he's 4th in points and first in goals by a nice margin over the course of 3 seasons (195 GP for Matthews). That is easily a top 5 player.

You are trying really hard to be in denial here.
 
Matthews was a top one or two player - as evaluated by the media and the players - for two straight seasons - 125 straight games. In the playoffs during those seasons he was a PPG. So you are suggesting that him being merely pretty good for 14 playoff games somehow wipes away MVP caliber play for 125 games.

Add in the 2019 season and he's 4th in points and first in goals by a nice margin over the course of 3 seasons (195 GP for Matthews). That is easily a top 5 player.

You are trying really hard to be in denial here.
So you think he has been better than Kucherov, Mcdavid, Draisaitl, Makar and Mackinnon over the last 5 years. I would never under any circumstances take him over them at any point over the last 5 years. Maybe you would but then again you are probably a leafs fan that likes his team. Which is fine but for an impartial fan he isnt remotely close to those 5.
 
So you think he has been better than Kucherov, Mcdavid, Draisaitl, Makar and Mackinnon over the last 5 years.

You are moving the goal posts. You said he "never was" a top 5 player.

I'm showing a 3 year stretch (not 5 years) where he very clearly was.
 
You are moving the goal posts. You said he "never was" a top 5 player.

I'm showing a 3 year stretch (not 5 years) where he very clearly was.
In your evaluation and ranking of players do playoffs not count? Imo players are significantly important. Matthews has been at times in a group of top 10 players. But drops (in those couple seasons) to the bottom of the tier because of his playoff performances compared to the guys he’s tanked with.
 
He's maybe top 25 currently. Maybe. Top 50 for sure though. Never was top 5 except for his 60 and 69 (nice) goal season. That's why he's frustrating. Ok he's been injured for the past...year or whatever. But he has the potential to be top 5 and squanders it. Especially in the playoffs. So I can't put him higher than top 25. AINEC.
 
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Having one year as a top 5 regular season player doesnt supplant players that have been doing it the entire time.

He had a strong argument for top 5 in 3 individual regular seasons in a 4 year span: ‘21, ‘22 and ‘24
 
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Having one year as a top 5 regular season player...

I do not know why you insist on such blatant dishonesty. Do you not have access to google or hockey reference?

Matthews was second in Hart voting and a Pearson finalist in 2020. That means he's top 3 at least.

Matthews won the Hart and the Pearson in 2021. That means top 1 for that season.

Why am I participating in this...
 
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Off the top of my head he is not even close to:

Mcdavid
Draisaitl
Makar
Mackinnon
Kucherov

The next tier of current players I’d rather have are:

Q Hughes
Eichel
Bobrovsky
Kaprizov
Rantanen
Barkov
Point
Pastrnak
Nylander
J Hughes

Matthews is probably in that Pastrnak/Nylander/ J Hughes group, but I’d prefer them over Matthews as a player
 
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Actually from 2019 to 2024 he was 5th in points and 1st in goals by a pretty nice margin. So maybe there is a 5 year span where he was top 5.
 
I do not know why you insist on such blatant dishonesty. Do you not have access to google or hockey reference?

Matthews was second in Hart voting and a Pearson finalist in 2020. That means he's top 3 at least.

Matthews won the Hart and the Pearson in 2021. That means top 1 for that season.

Why am I participating in this...
Its not dishonesty to think Auston Matthews is not a top 5 player over the last 5 years in a league that has Mackinnon, Mcdavid, Makar, Kucherov and Draisaitl. They have all done it in the playoffs thats what matters most and he has been a no show.

You are participating in this because you are trying to argue something that is wrong because he plays for your favorite team.
 
He was never Top-5 outside of Leafs enthusiasts. I have him just outside the Top-10

Not in exact order but I'd have 10 of these guys above (goalies are not in the same ranking)

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

Are NHL players Leafs enthusiasts?
 

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