Is McDavid, Matthews, MacKinnon the new Big Three?

[LeafFever]

Great. Now look up players with 2 Art Ross trophies in their teens. It’s a short list comprised only of truly generational players.

You are taking this as I am stating Matthews is better. I am not. But 5 minutes of TOI per game is a massive advantage.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

McDavid: 23:34

Mackinnon: 21:55

Eichel: 21:18

Matthews: 18:27

Babcock is holding Matthews back. 5 less minutes than McDavid.

This makes a MASSIVE difference.

but why? if Matthews is as good as people think, he should be riding that horse

 

[LeafFever]

but why? if Matthews is as good as people think, he should be riding that horse

It does not matter what people think, the facts and stats tell us he's an elite franchise centre. 10 goals, 16 points already and 40 goals as a rookie.

 

[strictlyrandy]

Maybe Matthews should hit 70 points in a full season before putting him in the same sentence as McDavid.

This Cup talk for the Leafs is laughable. Maybe make it to the 2nd round first.

MacKinnon is an amazing player but I'd have to agree that he shouldn't be in the same sentence as McDavid. He's a top 5 center today but McDavid is in a tier of his own.

 

[LeafFever]

Maybe Matthews should hit 70 points in a full season before putting him in the same sentence as McDavid.

This Cup talk for the Leafs is laughable. Maybe make it to the 2nd round first.

MacKinnon is an amazing player but I'd have to agree that he shouldn't be in the same sentence as McDavid. He's a top 5 center today but McDavid is in a tier of his own.

Maybe Eichel can do that too.
The cup talk is not laughable.An expansion team made the finals.

 

[strictlyrandy]

It does not matter what people think, the facts and stats tell us he's an elite franchise centre. 10 goals, 16 points already and 40 goals as a rookie.

Small sample size. He's a good player. Let him have a full season with over 70 points before labeling him an elite franchise center.

 

[strictlyrandy]

Maybe Eichel can do that too.
The cup talk is not laughable.An expansion team made the finals.

The Cup talk was laughable for Vegas too. They just managed to get unsustainable career years out of an entire roster.

Why mention Eichel? I certainly didn't.

 

[LeafFever]

Small sample size. He's a good player. Let him have a full season with over 70 points before labeling him an elite franchise center.

But Eichel is seen as a franchise centre without a 70 point season and 1 more season played. Why can't Matthews?

 

[LeafFever]

The Cup talk was laughable for Vegas too. They just managed to get unsustainable career years out of an entire roster.

Why mention Eichel? I certainly didn't.

But there was no "Cup Talk". They made the finals in their first season. That is fact. And I am told a team as talented as the Leafs can't be considered a contender. That's laughable.
They had 105 points and added Tavares.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

You are taking this as I am stating Matthews is better. I am not. But 5 minutes of TOI per game is a massive advantage.

Playing on one of the top offensive teams is also a massive advantage. Put Matthews on the Oilers and play him an extra 5 minutes and there’s no way he does as well as McDavid.
Leaf fans need to stay up and watch this kid play more. They’re missing out on seeing a generational talent.

 

[LeafFever]

Playing on one of the top offensive teams is also a massive advantage. Put Matthews on the Oilers and play him an extra 5 minutes and there’s no way he does as well as McDavid.
Leaf fans need to stay up and watch this kid play more.

He doesn't even play with very good wingers. You guys stated Kapanen was the most overrate prospect and Marleau is 39.

 

[LakeLivin]

If you go with the premise that those guys are truly the next "Big 3" (I'm not taking a position on it), and without reading back through 9 pages to see if it's already been suggested, wouldn't the obvious nickname be 3M?

 

[strictlyrandy]

But Eichel is seen as a franchise centre without a 70 point season and 1 more season played. Why can't Matthews?

I certainly don't view Eichel as that and didn't bring him up so don't be putting words in my mouth m'kay. I know you're salty about people not calling Matthews the greatest generational player ever but you need to calm down.

 

[strictlyrandy]

But there was no "Cup Talk". They made the finals in their first season. That is fact. And I am told a team as talented as the Leafs can't be considered a contender. That's laughable.
They had 105 points and added Tavares.

I never said the Leafs weren't talented. I just said maybe they should win a series before proclaiming them to be Cup champs less than 10 games into the season.

 

[LeafFever]

I certainly don't view Eichel as that and didn't bring him up so don't be putting words in my mouth m'kay. I know you're salty about people not calling Matthews the greatest generational player ever but you need to calm down.

You don't but many on here do. And he makes 10 million and not 1 person asks him to hit 70 before that.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I think other players could play those minutes, just no coach is crazy enough to do it long-term outside of McLellan due to desperation. The only other forward I've seen get minutes like this is Kovalchuk with the Devils.

I also think he gets pretty good line-mates. Most of his career he's had RNH, Eberle or Drai on his 5v5 line. A lot of teams don't stack their top unit like Boston or Dallas. I mean, for years Crosby played with Kunitz and Dupuis.

I disagree. McDavid is on another level than Matthews. Matthews plays on a stacked offensive team while McDavid is the Oilers. What he does with the lack of talent around him is nothing short of amazing. You’re focusing too much on a single statistic to make an argument. It’s only a small part of the picture. Another stat is two Art Ross trophies in his teens. McDavid is in elite company.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

He doesn't even play with very good wingers. You guys stated Kapanen was the most overrate prospect and Marleau is 39.

I never said anything about either player. I’m not sure who ‘you guys’ are. Anyone who thinks McDavid is on another level than Matthews?

 

[LeafFever]

I never said the Leafs weren't talented. I just said maybe they should win a series before proclaiming them to be Cup champs less than 10 games into the season.

A series win is not required. It's as important as the "Healthiest Team" overhyping from 2 years ago or "Beat a Playoff Team" from last week
You guys just make up these odd requiremnts no one has ever brought up before for any other team.
The Blues missed the playoffs and have more cup win predictions from analysts than the Leafs do.

 

[ProspectsSTC]

I think other players could play those minutes, just no coach is crazy enough to do it long-term outside of McLellan due to desperation. The only other forward I've seen get minutes like this is Kovalchuk with the Devils.

I also think he gets pretty good line-mates. Most of his career he's had RNH, Eberle or Drai on his 5v5 line. A lot of teams don't stack their top unit like Boston or Dallas. I mean, for years Crosby played with Kunitz and Dupuis.

In those years Kunitz was a much better player than the Nuge is now tbf

 

[LeafFever]

5 minutes of more TOI per game. 5 minutes. To try to dispute that as nothing and bring up the Leafs talent is ridiculous.
Kapanen and Marleau. And prior it was Ennis and Marleau. That's the big advantage?

 

[Nadal On Clay]

And the year before that? 5 points in 6 games against the president's trophy winners in his rookie year.

Funny how 7 game sample sizes can't be used for Matthews to start the year but they can be used against him at the end of the year

Yeah he was good in the playoffs that year. Are you really gonna compare start of the season 7 games sample size to a playoffs 6 game sample size? Playoffs are a different beast. Regular season lasts 82 games while playoffs are lasting no more than 7 games for half the teams in it. So yes, Matthews will be judged on those ~7 games especially when he finishes 10th in team scoring.

 

[zeke]

I never said anything about either player. I’m not sure who ‘you guys’ are. Anyone who thinks McDavid is on another level than Matthews?

"you guys" are the fans of other canadian teams who show up in every leaf related thread to poop all over it.

 

[Binister]

McJesus and his lambs

 

[BAM]

Yeah he was good in the playoffs that year. Are you really gonna compare start of the season 7 games sample size to a playoffs 6 game sample size? Playoffs are a different beast. Regular season lasts 82 games while playoffs are lasting no more than 7 games for half the teams in it. So yes, Matthews will be judged on those ~7 games especially when he finishes 10th in team scoring.

7 game sample sizes regardless of the time of season are poor examples of track record. Crosby got held pointless by the Bruins line of Bergeron and back end of Chara a few seasons ago, they're the best shutdown line in hockey for a reason.

Connor McDavid has 2 more points in the playoffs than Matthews, in the same amount of games. Sample sizes like that are poor, especially when you're talking about players in their first or second season in the league. Matthews was injured for a decent chunk of last year with the concussion/back issues. He's healthy now.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

"you guys" are the fans of other canadian teams who show up in every leaf related thread to poop all over it.

Thanks for clarifying. I thought ‘you guys’ might have been the Leaf homers trying to use a cherry picked stat like minutes played or a 7 game sample size to argue that Matthews is on the same level as a generational player like McDavid. Of course two Art Ross trophies in his teens is probably not all that big a deal just because only two other generational players did it.