Is Matthews the worst playoff performer ever?

[647Hockey]

Leafs fans haul this excuse out nearly every season. Perhaps he was or perhaps he was simply being himself.

Exactly.

Funny how they never bring up the opposing team can have banged up guys too. As if every team they lose to are always 100% healthy.

 

[Oak]

Passenger comment was really low class considering how much he gets paid to disappear every year. If Laffs management had any balls they'd take the C away from him.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Thornton took the Sharks to a Cup Final and a Conference Final and won 7 times the amount of playoff series than Matthews has.

Oh ya go point. Matthews hasn't done anything compared to Joe.

 

[Fatass]

Oh ya go point. Matthews hasn't done anything compared to Joe.

Like Thornton, Matthews might need to be traded to a different club to have playoff success?

 

[MikeS24]

This is exactly why everyone wants to see Dallas absolutely f***ing crush the Oilers

What's that have to do with Big Papi turning into a Small Papi when the going gets tough?

As for people who like to bring up Drai against FLA and ignore that he has been a monster overall...Drai probably should have been shut down last year with his rib injury. He wasn't really useful at all. Worst was Kane, who was shut down after game 1. Matthews looked way stronger this series and even dominated the faceoff dot. It's why Knob threw him with mcDavid. Couldn;t take faceoffs.

 

[MikeS24]

As far as opportunities go, yeah he is right up there among the worst playoff performers of all-time when it comes to star players. Forget Marcel Dionne, yeah he could have maybe put a big series together and helped the Kings win one at least since he never won a 7 game series in his career, but to be fair the Kings weren't ever considered contenders, and he did get 7 points in 5 games in the win vs. Edmonton in 1982. And had 14 points in 9 playoff games in 1977, doing well against Boston to boot. Not a good resume no, but not expected to have a good one either. Matthews is different. He's always on an elite team going into the playoffs. There have been countless years that a goal or two from him at the right time changes the series. 2-14 record when being able to close out a series is just a horrible one-sided stat.

Matthews reminds me a bit of Joe Thornton that way. Thornton's numbers weren't horrendous, but like Matthews he was always on a good team and never took it to another level, not once. He never seemed to play inspired hockey when it mattered. Never played mean, which is strange because he could be mean if he wanted to. We all have seen Matthews drop the gloves vs. Stamkos a couple of years back. It was ugly. But it wouldn't hurt to see him throw a hit or two.

Yeah, he's up there when it comes to playoff disappointments. I always say one playoff year can change a perception. Datsyuk comes to mind, Alfredsson even. Plenty of players who proved they could eventually do it.

Pretty much this.

Does everybody remember EDM-LA game 7 a few years ago? McDavid looked like a man possessed. He was a wrecking ball. All over the ice every shift. Could you imagine Matthews even looking 20% of that in an important game?

He just glides around the ice not doing much of anything.

 

[MikeS24]

If you shut down the top talent of any team, you're gonna win.

Edmonton is legit a lottery team without McDrai and they're only two players.

The difference is that their performance gets better from season to playoffs.

Matthews, Marner, Tavares get 33-50% worse in the playoffs, that's literally why they've lost all these close series.

What an idiotic comment, mainly the last 2 years.

Of course a team would suck without it's top 2 forwards.

Did you check Edmontons record without either and without both this year?

Did you see that Edmontons depth players have been over 60% of goal share I believe this playoffs? lol

Guess who got Toronto's depth goals b/c the big boys go Casper?

Domi got all 3 lmao. Oh ya, Roberstson got a garbage time goal.

 

[MikeS24]

I doubt it. All he will be remembered for is how bad of a player he turned into when it matters. Playoffs is where legends are born in hockey.

Lets be realistic though. He has time.

Steve yzerman won his first cup in his 14th or 15th year. Ovi late too.

 

[NVious]

What an idiotic comment, mainly the last 2 years.

Of course a team would suck without it's top 2 forwards.

Did you check Edmontons record without either and without both this year?

Did you see that Edmontons depth players have been over 60% of goal share I believe this playoffs? lol

Guess who got Toronto's depth goals b/c the big boys go Casper?

Domi got all 3 lmao. Oh ya, Roberstson got a garbage time goal.

Maybe the core should've taken less money since they need so much help.

 

[MikeS24]

Sure, but Tavares has been particularly awful out of the core 4, yet seems to get the least blame over the years. Why?

This dude is like 35 years old?

Blame your dumb GM for thinking he can be a 2C at that age after he slowed down last year

 

[MikeS24]

In the playoffs he's more of an elite checking shut down center. He's drastically over paid

Is he elite?

Elite was Marchand this playoffs. He is 12GP 13PT +12

Matthews

13GP 11P +/- of 0

Matthews last 5 games against FLA? When it got tough? MINUS 3 lol

Yup, elite defensively

 

[MikeS24]

Great, finally starting to see the light

As much as I hate on the Leafs (biggest Leafs hater in the world) the fans do deserve better even if extremely obnoxious, they have stuck with the team through absolute hell

Exactly. They are finally going to change things. Die hard fans deserve more.

Stop running this sh** back 9 years straight. Just pure lunacy. If this was my team, I would not give a flying fu** if bot Matthews/Marner left at once.

At least 2/4 of that "core 4" should be gonzo

 

[MikeS24]

that is the sad part
with mitch gone, now who do these fans blame?

This will be interesting to watch.

Matthews will be getting much more heat now. Scapegoat will be gone.

 

[MikeS24]

I might get a reaction out of this, but besides his shot and playmaking abiity, what else does Matthews possess?

Even at the Four Nations, I feel like he's not as fast as I thought he was, and he is not physical at all (not that he has to be)

What playmaking ability? He is not known as one at all.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Exactly. They are finally going to change things. Die hard fans deserve more.

Stop running this sh** back 9 years straight. Just pure lunacy. If this was my team, I would not give a flying fu** if bot Matthews/Marner left at once.

At least 2/4 of that "core 4" should be gonzo

Is the copium already starting the next day? Is this the first "next year will be different" of the postseason?

 

[MikeS24]

Thornton took the Sharks to a Cup Final and a Conference Final and won 7 times the amount of playoff series than Matthews has.

Joe Thornton is basically a Justin Williams if you compare him and Papi

 

[MikeS24]

Passenger comment was really low class considering how much he gets paid to disappear every year. If Laffs management had any balls they'd take the C away from him.

They just took it from JT and gave it to AM this year. I don't think they take it off.

 

[pi314]

No Connor Hellebuyck is the worst all time performer....Matthews is second worse...

Pair them with Thornton, Marleau, and Rick Nash.

Build the all no show team.

 

[Sensatauro]

This is exactly why everyone wants to see Dallas absolutely f***ing crush the Oilers

This post is exactly why Leafs fans are among the most hated, because you think you're everything and speak for everyone. A city of narcissistic buffoons. Toronto gets what it deserves.

 

[RandV]

He may be the modern day Joe Thornton, but for Leaf fans at least he's not the modern day Alexei Yashin.

 

[Fatass]

Joe Thornton is basically a Justin Williams if you compare him and Papi

Is “Papi” Matthews? Is that what his teammates call him? I hadn’t heard that before.

 

[Crosby2010]

Pretty much this.

Does everybody remember EDM-LA game 7 a few years ago? McDavid looked like a man possessed. He was a wrecking ball. All over the ice every shift. Could you imagine Matthews even looking 20% of that in an important game?

He just glides around the ice not doing much of anything.

I don't think we've even seen that once from him.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I might get a reaction out of this, but besides his shot and playmaking abiity, what else does Matthews possess?

Even at the Four Nations, I feel like he's not as fast as I thought he was, and he is not physical at all (not that he has to be)

What playmaking ability? That's kind of the issue with Matthews. He's an elite goal scorer who is only average as a playmaker (in comparison to other elite centers, before some wacko decides to compare him to like David Kampf). It's why he gets shut down so easily if he's not scoring goals.

The other elite players can hurt you either with their goal scoring or their playmaking. Matthews has to score goals or he's basically a ghost because he can't consistently setup teammates for chances.

 

[MikeS24]

Is “Papi” Matthews? Is that what his teammates call him? I hadn’t heard that before.

Its his nickname in Toronto. Big Papi

He once scored against Edmonton and Sportsnet flashed a huge graphic that said Big Papi scores lol

Never seen that before

 

[Fatass]

Its his nickname in Toronto. Big Papi

He once scored against Edmonton and Sportsnet flashed a huge graphic that said Big Papi scores lol

Never seen that before

I think there was a ball player in Boston called “Big Pappi”.