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Is Auston Matthews the best player in the world ?

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Oscar Peterson said:
I have him as number 2 in the league behind McDavid, but it's very close.

I will say one thing is that Matthews works his ass off every offseason to master new techniques and hasn't been playing 5v5 hockey as long as most guys in the show. He also has that desire to be great and seems to thrive under responsibility. He's absolutely phenomenal right now and he's still getting better.
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He might be #2 right now but what happens when McDavid begins to slow?
 
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For now, McDavid is considered the best player in the world. McKinnon is close, and Matthews is close. Should McDavid continue to put up gaudy offensive numbers, but struggle defensively, and not find team success, his status is vulnerable. Should McKinnon continue his great play of last year, or Matthews continue to grow his game at both ends, unworldy goal scoring, then take either of their teams to a Cup, with dominant leadership, they might supplant McDavid. Until then, the answer to the OP's question is a resounding no.
 
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Varcus said:
Matthews needs to produce more simply put. He would need to become as good as Ovi was in the early part of his career in order to challenge McDavid.
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It's a small sample set, but Matthews current pace, is greater than Ovi has ever produced in a full season in Goals/Game.
 
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Isaac Nootin said:
Long and short answer, no.

McDavid still the clear cut #1. That's no slight as he's in a tier by himself, IMO.

Matthews (if he keeps up his current play) is right there now with Drai, Mack etc.
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Ya, I don't see any arguments at all for AM being #1. That's not really an insult considering McDavid has a chance to be a top 10 player of all time.

What would really open some eyes would be a fantastic playoffs. A 50g in 56gp season would be insane as well.
 
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no but top 5 for sure though possibly top 3.
I'd go 1) McDavid 2) MacKinnon 3) Matthews 4) Hedman 5) Draisaitl

for my top 5
 
McDavid is better but Matthews is making it very close because of goals and defence.

I think expecting a 72 + goal pace over 82 games is highly unlikely to sustain.

If he is closer to 50 goals, 90 points I can’t put him #1.

If he’s closer to 60 + goals, 100 + points with Selke defence Over 200 games now you have a case imo. McDavid has just been to good for 4 seasons.

McDavid, MacKinnon, Drai, Kucherov, Hedman those 5 are also insanely elite. Matthews this year is #2 (border line 1A 1B with McDavid) but in order for him to be unanimously #2 over all those 100 +!point guys he will have to maintain this for 2 seasons.

Also the Marner factor. Matthews and Tavares both have an elevated PPG playing with Marner. Marner is the best playmaker on the planet not named McDavid.

Hyman-McDavid-Nylander
Thornton-Tavares-Marner

I think this would be better but Matthews is elite in his own right and he’s ours. The fact this is a conversation shows how special Matthews is and I hope Matthews can be #1 at some point
 
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We are not allowed to think like that in Leafs land.

Shame on you.


Here is what you need to know

After Crosby, McDavid is the new chosen one. He's the best player in the game today. This is not a theory, it is a given fact.
We play in the North division, which sucks, so we suck too. But McDavid is the best.
Also we haven't won a playoff round
And we haven't won a cup.
So Matthews sucks. How dare you compare to him to top players in the league.
 
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If Auston was playing against real teams like TB, or Boston or Washington etc etc instead of Ottawa and Vancouver regularly would this question be viewed differently at this moment in time?

I'd say him and OV are among the best pure elite goal scorers in the league and Ovechkin might soon be in the process of passing down the torch due to age to AM, who would then be the Rocket Richard favourite annually.Does that make you the "Best" player in the World?

Matthews is still developing and improving and Leaf nation has to be thrilled with what we are seeing so far, as he continues to rise to the cream of the crop status among the NHL's best.

However an athletes true success and impact is often measured in his Team success and his contribution directly towards that objective. Conn Smythe trophies as MVP during Stanley Cup wins supersedes regulation season goals and assists totals when evaluating a question like this as "Best" is a subjective term as to its definition and defined by the eyes of the beholder and different from person to person. IMO

Sidney Crosby has lead the Pens to 3 X Stanley Cups already and therefore has the resume to support any best player of his time debates. Simply scoring 40-50 goals in a NHL regular season doesn't equate to equality in comparison. You really have to prove BEST when it counts most.
 
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I rank him as the 4th best player on the planet behind only McDavid, Mackinnon and Draisaitl. I think he will win the Rocket and the Hart this year. I have no idea who I would compare him to. He’s a very unique player, the closest comparison I can come up with is probably Malkin.
 
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Isaac Nootin said:
If my aunt had wheels, would she be a bicycle? What a silly way to look at things.

You play the teams in front of you.
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Of course... but then I think the point is... if the other teams, and fans of other teams, saw Matthews ripping up their teams, the way he is The North right now, the around the league view might be different.
 
Fogelhund said:
It's a small sample set, but Matthews current pace, is greater than Ovi has ever produced in a full season in Goals/Game.
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And if he managed to keep at this pace it would be amazing. But what are the chances of that honestly.
 
Mess said:
If Auston was playing against real teams like TB, or Boston or Washington etc etc instead of Ottawa and Vancouver regularly would this question be viewed differently at this moment in time?
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Auston Matthews Career Splits | Hockey-Reference.com

PPG in his career against those teams. He's great against good teams and elite against shitty ones, most elite players tend to destroy shit teams.
 
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Define Best?

I always though what made McDavid super is that teams have to constantly worry about his speed, which changes how aggressive you can be with him out on the ice. And also that he can play so many minutes. I think Matthews has closed the minutes gap by getting himself in better shape. He looks markedly better in shape than I've ever seen him in past years, skates better, and doesn't seem to get winded as easy. If it's 5 on 5 points per minute played with overall defensive game included, you'd be hard pressed to beat Matthews.
 
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Fogelhund said:
Of course... but then I think the point is... if the other teams, and fans of other teams, saw Matthews ripping up their teams, the way he is The North right now, the around the league view might be different.
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He kind of did it to the Atlantic last year once Keefe took over.

Don't expect other fans to give any Leafs any credit for anything. The goalposts will continually be moved until the Leafs win the cup, and that's just a reality.
 
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Teeder Keon said:
Here’s my take ....
Can you think of more comparisons?
Or are you against this theory ?
Where would you rank him and project his career to be ?
How about this year ?
What trophies do you think he may earn this year ?
I’m just putting it out there for discussion
I think you can say that AM is like Kopitar with way more offensive skill
Of like Malkin with more of being a complete player
Or like Draistl with more defensive awareness
Or like Mcdavid with way less speed but better defensively and better goal scorer
Or like Crosby but with youth on his side and size
Or like McKinnon with better defensive awareness and better goal scorer
So all in all if things continue, he is and will continue to be the best player in hockey this year and years to come
He may or may not be , but at the moment , I think he is .
Go Leafs Go
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I don't think this idea is as crazy as others might. How many players can score a goal like his second one last night from behind the net? How can a 6'3", 220 pounder move that fast? He also scores different every time. One-timers, laser wrist shots from the slot, undressing a dman and shelving it, 5 hole, sneaking it in between the goalie and the post, you name it. He's almost an undefinable player.
 
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The Hanging Jowl said:
I don't think this idea is as crazy as others might. How many players can score a goal like his second one last night from behind the net? How can a 6'3", 220 pounder move that fast? He also scores different every time. One-timers, laser wrist shots from the slot, undressing a dman and shelving it, 5 hole, sneaking it in between the goalie and the post, you name it. He's almost an undefinable player.
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Because he is more like 205lbs now. Shedding 15lbs when you are that powerful can do wonders for your acceleration and top end.
 
Second best. Unfortuntely too many people use point totals on the Oilers who dont play a lick of defensive hockey to make their judgement between Matty & Drai.
 
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Varcus said:
And if he managed to keep at this pace it would be amazing. But what are the chances of that honestly.
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To continue his current pace would certainly defy the odds... but he's at 0.94GPG and Ovechkin's best season is 0.79GPG.

To beat Ovechkin, Matthews needs 28 goals over the rest of the season, over 38 games. That's a pace of 0.74GPG, the rest of the way. That's not far off his pace for last season, so it's doable.
 
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I genuinely think he is the 2nd best player in the world. No one will be better than McJesus. Connor is unlike any player since Gretzky. If Connor were to have played in the Era that Wayne did, or vice versa I think we would have a real conversation of greatest of all time. Stanley cups aside, just pure talent. McDavid routinely makes the very best players on the planet look like pee wee house players. Teams game plan specifically to contain him, and have zero luck. Probably the most electric player in NHL history. No one has ever played at that speed with that level of precision. So for all of those reasons I cannot say Auston is the best in the world. And sadly, barring catastrophic injury to Connor, I do not foresee that ever changing. That said, Auston is truly an exceptional talent. I am in awe of what this guy does game in and game out. Absolute must watch TV, and he deserves all the praise he is getting IMO
 
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18 games is not nearly enough track to annoint him. A few seasons of this (with a more normalized shooting %) and there's an argument.
 
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