Is Pettersson a top 10 player in the NHL from now and going forward?

[Pavels Dog]

Huh? He is clearly a center.

If you think EP is soft, then I do not know what to tell you.

He doesn't take many faceoffs and has a pretty poor FOW%. It seems at this point he's a bit better suited for Winger duties.
He needs to get stronger, I don't think that's controversial. Doesn't mean he can't hit, but he's hardly a physical force and he's not at his best when he needs to engage in physical battles.

 

[Ace of Hades]

He doesn't take many faceoffs and has a pretty poor FOW%. It seems at this point he's a bit better suited for Winger duties.
He needs to get stronger, I don't think that's controversial. Doesn't mean he can't hit, but he's hardly a physical force and he's not at his best when he needs to engage in physical battles.

He does take plenty of face offs, and just because his face off percentage is not good does not make him a non-center.

He plays primarily the role of a centerman in general.

 

[Star Ocean]

He doesn't take many faceoffs and has a pretty poor FOW%. It seems at this point he's a bit better suited for Winger duties.
He needs to get stronger, I don't think that's controversial. Doesn't mean he can't hit, but he's hardly a physical force and he's not at his best when he needs to engage in physical battles.

He has played three gritty teams so far in wild, blues and vegas. Has 16p in 12 games.

Enough said.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Elias is certainly making a case for this right now. We are seeing an ascending NHL star in the making.

 

[nihlify]

Maybe in a year or two. When he's on you can certainly considering him top 10, but I think he need a bit more consistency which will come with experience and as he bulks up a bit.

 

[Love]

He doesn't take many faceoffs and has a pretty poor FOW%. It seems at this point he's a bit better suited for Winger duties.
He needs to get stronger, I don't think that's controversial. Doesn't mean he can't hit, but he's hardly a physical force and he's not at his best when he needs to engage in physical battles.

Pettersson’s faceoff percentage in the playoffs is 51%. His regular season FO% was 42% but that doesn’t mean he can’t or should play centre.

After Evgeni Malkin’s rookie season, in his next 4 seasons his FO% was 39%, 42%, 40%, and 38%. Geno won the Art Ross, Smyth, and was 2nd in Hart voting with a 42% face off percentage. Do you think Malkin was/is “better suited for winger duties”?

 

[Mitch nylander]

Pettersson is similar to Aleksander Barkov of 2 years ago.
-Great point scorer but under a ppg.
-Good defensively but not elite.
-Good shot, good release but under 30 goals.
-Gaining a very high reputation on HFboards.

I don't think you could say Barkov of then was top 10 player. I think the same statement applies to Pettersson.

He will be a top 10 player, he's got all the tools but he is not there now. One good playoff run doesn't put him there. He's between 15-20 in my books.

 

[Grub]

Pettersson is similar to Aleksander Barkov of 2 years ago.
-Great point scorer but under a ppg.
-Good defensively but not elite.
-Good shot, good release but under 30 goals.
-Gaining a very high reputation on HFboards.

I don't think you could say Barkov of then was top 10 player. I think the same statement applies to Pettersson.

He will be a top 10 player, he's got all the tools but he is not there now. One good playoff run doesn't put him there. He's between 15-20 in my books.

I'd take Pettersson over Matthews any day, kid has heart. 16 points in his first playoffs... As you mentioned one playoff run doesn't put him there, then by your logic Matthews has had 4 tries in the playoffs.....and his career high is 6 points. If anything Matthews hasn't proved that he can make an impact in the playoffs at all.

Pettersson > Matthews

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Top 10 player?
It depends on how you measure it. If points is the be all and end all then the answer is no. If having a complete two way game and if you put a high value on how a player performs in the playoffs when other teams are keying on him then I think you could argue he’s already there. His compete level at both ends of the ice against big physical teams like the Wild, Blues and Vegas has been off the charts. He’s been targeted every game and just plays through it and lets his play do the talking. The kid has that something special that you don’t see in many sophomore players. Hard to believe he’s just 21 and will still add some weight to his frame.

 

[Svencouver]

Making consistent points that Pettersson isn't a PPG player is technically true but splitting hairs. He was 5 points under his rookie season, but that's not what I'm getting at either.

He was *two* points under PPG in the shortened season and has 16 pts in 12 games in the playoffs, two behind MacKinnon for the league lead. He's not busting into the league scoring 100 in his second season like McDavid, but neither is anyone else, and it ignores just how absurdly good Pettersson is overall in other metrics.

 

[Mitch nylander]

I'd take Pettersson over Matthews any day, kid has heart. 16 points in his first playoffs... As you mentioned one playoff run doesn't put him there, then by your logic Matthews has had 4 tries in the playoffs.....and his career high is 6 points. If anything Matthews hasn't proved that he can make an impact in the playoffs at all.

Pettersson > Matthews

I respectfully disagree with your statement of Pettersson over Matthews for several different reasons.

Offensively

Matthews, has been over a ppg for three consecutive seasons. Pettersson has yet to reach that.

Matthews was first in the league for even strength goals, third in the league for total goals. Pettersson was 25th for total goals and 29th for even strength goals.

Matthews was 9th in the league in points, and 14th for point per game. Meanwhile Pettersson was 26th for point per game, and Elias Pettersson was 22nd for total points.

Even strength points: Matthews had 55 which was ranked 8th in the league. Pettersson had 42 which was ranked 34th league wide.

Offensively, Matthews is a more dynamic and dangerous threat. Mind you Pettersson is great, he isn't there yet as you can see above, I've shown numerous different stats. I'm not discrediting Pettersson by any means as I do think he will be a top 10 player for a long time. I personally believe he is more comparable to Aho, Barzal, at this point and time then he is to Matthews, Eichel.

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Defensively, he is good admittedly, yet I do not think the gap defensively is as large as people make it seem.

+/-, obviously not a great stat indicator because of linemates and such, but it does have perks. Both had excellent +/-, Matthews was +19 leading the leafs by over +5, and Pettersson did very well as well leading his team with +16.

Physicality, Discipline, Blocks, etc - Both players are very disciplined players and will not take stupid penalties which can cost a team a game. Both will compete for the Lady Byng on any given season. In terms of physicality, Pettersson uses his body more and will hit more often then Matthews. Vancouver plays a much more physical style then Toronto, which is more suitable in the playoffs. Matthews blocks way more shots then Elias Pettersson. Pettersson had 42 while Matthews had 60. Matthews had more takeaways then Pettersson. He had 78 takeaways and Elias Pettersson only had a whopping 36.

Miscellaneous - Matthews is a way more dominant face-off man and it isn't even comparable. Matthews had a 55.5% meanwhile Elias Pettersson had a 41.8% face-off winning percentage, while having taken way less face-offs.
Neither Kill Penalties. Both play a lot of minutes on the power play. Matthews plays more total minutes though.

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I really don't see an argument at this point and time for Pettersson over Matthews right now, and here are my reasons why. I do like both players a lot though. In my opinion both will be top 5 players in the league along with Mcdavid, Mackinnon and Eichel/Draisaitl.

I hope you can take the time, to read my reasons and thoughts..

 

[Jimbo57]

I respectfully disagree with your statement of Pettersson over Matthews for several different reasons.

Offensively

Matthews, has been over a ppg for three consecutive seasons. Pettersson has yet to reach that.

Matthews was first in the league for even strength goals, third in the league for total goals. Pettersson was 25th for total goals and 29th for even strength goals.

Matthews was 9th in the league in points, and 14th for point per game. Meanwhile Pettersson was 26th for point per game, and Elias Pettersson was 22nd for total points.

Even strength points: Matthews had 55 which was ranked 8th in the league. Pettersson had 42 which was ranked 34th league wide.

Offensively, Matthews is a more dynamic and dangerous threat. Mind you Pettersson is great, he isn't there yet as you can see above, I've shown numerous different stats. I'm not discrediting Pettersson by any means as I do think he will be a top 10 player for a long time. I personally believe he is more comparable to Aho, Barzal, at this point and time then he is to Matthews, Eichel.

------

Defensively, he is good admittedly, yet I do not think the gap defensively is as large as people make it seem.

+/-, obviously not a great stat indicator because of linemates and such, but it does have perks. Both had excellent +/-, Matthews was +19 leading the leafs by over +5, and Pettersson did very well as well leading his team with +16.

Physicality, Discipline, Blocks, etc - Both players are very disciplined players and will not take stupid penalties which can cost a team a game. Both will compete for the Lady Byng on any given season. In terms of physicality, Pettersson uses his body more and will hit more often then Matthews. Vancouver plays a much more physical style then Toronto, which is more suitable in the playoffs. Matthews blocks way more shots then Elias Pettersson. Pettersson had 42 while Matthews had 60. Matthews had more takeaways then Pettersson. He had 78 takeaways and Elias Pettersson only had a whopping 36.

Miscellaneous - Matthews is a way more dominant face-off man and it isn't even comparable. Matthews had a 55.5% meanwhile Elias Pettersson had a 41.8% face-off winning percentage, while having taken way less face-offs.
Neither Kill Penalties. Both play a lot of minutes on the power play. Matthews plays more total minutes though.

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I really don't see an argument at this point and time for Pettersson over Matthews right now, and here are my reasons why. I do like both players a lot though. In my opinion both will be top 5 players in the league along with Mcdavid, Mackinnon and Eichel/Draisaitl.

I hope you can take the time, to read my reasons and thoughts..

yeah but when the chips are down and the playoff grind comes into play, what has Mathews done? Johnny Gaudreau is an awesome regular season player too.

You would figure with all of the extra time leaf fans have had on their hands since their team finished a humiliating season they would have some time to watch other teams play.

 

[Mitch nylander]

yeah but when the chips are down and the playoff grind comes into play, what has Mathews done? Johnny Gaudreau is an awesome regular season player too.

You would figure with all of the extra time leaf fans have had on their hands since their team finished a humiliating season they would have some time to watch other teams play.

I mean, one player doesn't carry a team to victory. It's a team sport. But if you watched our series you could clearly tell Matthews was often the most dominate player on the ice. He in fact led both teams in points in the play-in series, he also led our team in goals. He was fourth in block shots, led the team in take aways, led our team in hits, he averaged 25 mins per game. He only had one giveaway all series. He was the only + on the whole roster. He led the team in shots. He had no penalty minutes.

You literally, can't say he did nothing in the playoffs. He was by far our most impactful player and it wasn't even close. When the rest of the team doesn't play great namely Marner, Nylander, Mikheyev, the entire d core and Freddy. It's hard to expect a victory.

You play the I don't watch hockey, card yet you clearly, haven't watched our series to say Matthews did nothing.

 

[Jimbo57]

I mean, one player doesn't carry a team to victory. It's a team sport. But if you watched our series you could clearly tell Matthews was often the most dominate player on the ice. He in fact led both teams in points in the play-in series, he also led our team in goals. He was fourth in block shots, led the team in take aways, led our team in hits, he averaged 25 mins per game. He only had one giveaway all series. He was the only + on the whole roster. He led the team in shots. He had no penalty minutes.

You literally, can't say he did nothing in the playoffs. He was by far our most impactful player and it wasn't even close. When the rest of the team doesn't play great namely Marner, Nylander, Mikheyev, the entire d core and Freddy. It's hard to expect a victory.

You play the I don't watch hockey, card yet you clearly, haven't watched our series to say Matthews did nothing.

i did not say that he did nothing. you bring up all these regular season stats, which is great. But when it really counts, his stats dont look as good. You were comparing him to EP40. To me EP40 already looks like a better playoff performer. The two are closer than many leaf fans are making it out to be.

 

[Mitch nylander]

i did not say that he did nothing. you bring up all these regular season stats, which is great. But when it really counts, his stats dont look as good. You were comparing him to EP40. To me EP40 already looks like a better playoff performer. The two are closer than many leaf fans are making it out to be.

I also didn't say that they weren't close, I just showed various stats and numbers to showcase, why I have him slightly ahead at this point and time. EP40 is having a great run as I've been watching, but his supporting cast has been playing much better then the leafs depth these past playoffs.

At this point and time I'd say my ranking would look something like this.

1. Mcdavid
2. Mackinnon
3. Crosby
4. Draisaitl
5. Kucherov
6. Panarin
7. Ovechkin
8. Malkin
9. Hedman
10. Kane
11. Matthews
12. Eichel
13. Marchand
14. Jones
15. Pastrnak
16. Barkov
17. Scheifele
18. Pettersson

 

[Grifter3511]

Maybe in a year or two. When he's on you can certainly considering him top 10, but I think he need a bit more consistency which will come with experience and as he bulks up a bit.

Rookie season: 71gp 66pts
2nd season: 68gp. 66pts
Playoffs: 12gp 16pts

What more consistency would you like?

Also, notice how his ppg increases in the playoffs? Another indicator that the kid brings it when it matters.

 

[Jimbo57]

I also didn't say that they weren't close, I just showed various stats and numbers to showcase, why I have him slightly ahead at this point and time. EP40 is having a great run as I've been watching, but his supporting cast has been playing much better then the leafs depth these past playoffs.

At this point and time I'd say my ranking would look something like this.

1. Mcdavid
2. Mackinnon
3. Crosby
4. Draisaitl
5. Kucherov
6. Panarin
7. Ovechkin
8. Malkin
9. Hedman
10. Kane
11. Matthews
12. Eichel
13. Marchand
14. Jones
15. Pastrnak
16. Barkov
17. Scheifele
18. Pettersson

Fair enough. Regarding your list, theres a few I disagree with. If you offered up EP40 and Kane to every GM in the league, as an example, is there anyone that takes Kane ahead of him at this point? I dont think so. . I think same goes with Mathews vs Kane...Id take Mathews every time.

 

[koyvoo]

Playoff Petey

Production in the playoffs isn’t worth double regular season production. It’s worth 4x as much.

 

[Mitch nylander]

Fair enough. Regarding your list, theres a few I disagree with. If you offered up EP40 and Kane to every GM in the league, as an example, is there anyone that takes Kane ahead of him at this point? I dont think so. . I think same goes with Mathews vs Kane...Id take Mathews every time.

Obviously, in terms of trade value it's incomparable. But right now I say Kane is the better player, he literally put up 110 points last year, 29 more points than any teammate. In my eyes he's a top 4 winger in the league.

But I do understand what you're saying, I think by next year, Elias Pettersson, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak, Jack Eichel move up where as guys like Ovechkin, Malkin, Kane, move down.

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

He has played three gritty teams so far in wild, blues and vegas. Has 16p in 12 games.

Enough said.

He has to be insulated between gritty players to be effective; Miller, Toffoli, Pearson, Virtanen etc. Amazing talent and awareness but needs to get stronger, develop better balance, and improve in face-offs to become a top 10 player. He’s not there yet, but should be in a couple of years.

 

[SuperScript29]

No, at least not yet.

 

[BCNate]

Making consistent points that Pettersson isn't a PPG player is technically true but splitting hairs. He was 5 points under his rookie season, but that's not what I'm getting at either.

He was *two* points under PPG in the shortened season and has 16 pts in 12 games in the playoffs, two behind MacKinnon for the league lead. He's not busting into the league scoring 100 in his second season like McDavid, but neither is anyone else, and it ignores just how absurdly good Pettersson is overall in other metrics.

Rolling up regular season and playoff, EP is 148 points in 151 games. I'm pretty comfortable with calling him a PPG player.

 

[BAM]

EP is a great player but the crazy Nucks fans that think he's better than Matthews are hopeless. One post season does not change a player's overall career value this much.

Matthews
D+1 - 69 points in 82 games, 40 goals (0.84 ppg)
D+2 - 63 points in 62 games, 34 goals, (1.02 ppg)
D+3 - 73 points in 68 games, 37 goals, (1.07 ppg)
D+4 - 80 points in 70 games, 47 goals, (1.14ppg)

EP
D+1 - No NHL
D+2 - 66 points in 71 games, 28 goals, (0.93 ppg)
D+3 - 66 points in 68 games, 27 goals, (0.97 ppg)

Matthews is also better defensively and on faceoffs.

Let's also not forget that other than the Blues, Matthews has faced significantly better teams in the playoffs in his career (Bruins with Chara & Bergeron shutdown line x 2 that held Crosby and Malkin pointless and the president's cup winning Capitals)

 

[Fedz]

EP is a great player but the crazy Nucks fans that think he's better than Matthews are hopeless. One post season does not change a player's overall career value this much.

Matthews
D+1 - 69 points in 82 games, 40 goals (0.84 ppg)
D+2 - 63 points in 62 games, 34 goals, (1.02 ppg)
D+3 - 73 points in 68 games, 37 goals, (1.07 ppg)
D+4 - 80 points in 70 games, 47 goals, (1.14ppg)

EP
D+1 - No NHL
D+2 - 66 points in 71 games, 28 goals, (0.93 ppg)
D+3 - 66 points in 68 games, 27 goals, (0.97 ppg)

Matthews is also better defensively and on faceoffs.

Let's also not forget that other than the Blues, Matthews has faced significantly better teams in the playoffs in his career (Bruins with Chara & Bergeron shutdown line x 2 that held Crosby and Malkin pointless and the president's cup winning Capitals)

Can you pretty please sit in on negotiations with the Canucks? If we can get Pettersson signed long term for less than Matthews, every Canucks fan will give you $1....you'll be rich.

Matthews is absolutely a better offensive producer, particularly on the PP but to say Matthews is a better player than Pettersson is laughable. You can show me all the points, expected goals, shot attempts, blah blah blah in tthe world. Matthews does NOT inspire his team the way Pettersson does, and he definitely doesn't have the defensive IQ or give a shit that Pettersson has.

Having said that, Matthews is in my mind the second best goal scorer in the NHL behind Ovechkin. Both great players, just very different. Though if you're asking me which center I want to build my team around? Right now its Petey..

 

[BAM]

Can you pretty please sit in on negotiations with the Canucks? If we can get Pettersson signed long term for less than Matthews, every Canucks fan will give you $1....you'll be rich.

Matthews is absolutely a better offensive producer, particularly on the PP but to say Matthews is a better player than Pettersson is laughable. You can show me all the points, expected goals, shot attempts, blah blah blah in tthe world. Matthews does NOT inspire his team the way Pettersson does, and he definitely doesn't have the defensive IQ or give a shit that Pettersson has.

Having said that, Matthews is in my mind the second best goal scorer in the NHL behind Ovechkin. Both great players, just very different. Though if you're asking me which center I want to build my team around? Right now its Petey..

This is how I know you have no clue what you're talking about.

Matthews is one of the best even-strength performers in the entire league and by far the best goal-scorer at even strength. Go look at the powerplay time he was given during his ELC and compare that to EP, Eichel and Mackinnon. One of Babcock's biggest problems was limiting Matthews ice-time on the pp during his ELC.

1. Matthews is the better goalscorer by far and also better points wise
2. Matthews is far superior in faceoffs and has been at every comparable age of their careers
3. Matthews is better defensively

Look, I get it. You've had to watch the Oilers get McDavid and LD, the Avs get Mackinnon, Buffalo get Eichel, Florida get Barkov and the Leafs get Matthews. You have your star center now. Just stop overrating him.

He might one day get to the level the others are, but he's not there yet. What Nucks fans are doing has Laine levels of lmao potential.