Rookie Ovechkin or Prime Matthews

[wetcoast]

Ovechkin was better at every single point in his career than Matthews at every single point in his own career. They are not comparable players.

Thats great and also not true if you look at both palyers 6th seasons.

Once again the question is 2005-06 Ovi against AM in his best years, seems to be hard for people to follow for some reason.

 

[authentic]

Nothing like using PPG as a crutch when every one knows McDavids best seasons blow Matthews best seasons out of the water.

They were drafted one year a part and only 83 GP of a difference between the two yet McDavid is already near 1,100 pts while Matthews just hit 700 this year lol

Anyway availability matters give me Ovi every day of the week.

This is comparing Matthews at his best to a rookie Ovechkin and you just went and compared the career of Matthews to McDavid…

 

[authentic]

Hes been fine, Ovechkin was a wagon in the playoffs. Not on the same level. Stop that.

Matthews just calmly outplays the opposition (3-0 against Barkov line currently) and has been a defensive stud in the playoffs since 2020.

 

[ColbyChaos]

This is comparing Matthews at his best to a rookie Ovechkin and you just went and compared the career of Matthews to McDavid…

You can’t say Matthews exceeded McDavid and then get mad when it’s addressed

 

[authentic]

You can’t say Matthews exceeded McDavid and then get mad when it’s addressed

In one single season at his peak, and I wasn’t mad

 

[Toby91ca]

Ovechkin was better at every single point in his career than Matthews at every single point in his own career. They are not comparable players.

Well, firstly, this is absolutely not true. Matthews, without considering defensive game, was certainly better in his 6th, 7th and 8th seasons in the league vs. Ovechkin. Their 8th year seasons could be considered more equal due to difference in scoring levels, but I'd give Matthews the win there due to it being a full year.

Secondly, the poll is simply asking about Matthews prime vs. Ovechkin as a rookie....perhaps you are answering that question if what you meant was to compare year 1 for each and year 2 for each but to simply say that Ovechkin's worst year in the league is better than Matthews' best year in the league and if that's what you are saying, I'd disagree even more to the point that I'd suggest that is a non-sensical suggestion.

 

[Mrb1p]

Well, firstly, this is absolutely not true. Matthews, without considering defensive game, was certainly better in his 6th, 7th and 8th seasons in the league vs. Ovechkin. Their 8th year seasons could be considered more equal due to difference in scoring levels, but I'd give Matthews the win there due to it being a full year.

Secondly, the poll is simply asking about Matthews prime vs. Ovechkin as a rookie....perhaps you are answering that question if what you meant was to compare year 1 for each and year 2 for each but to simply say that Ovechkin's worst year in the league is better than Matthews' best year in the league and if that's what you are saying, I'd disagree even more to the point that I'd suggest that is a non-sensical suggestion.

Yes thats precisely what Im saying

 

[Toby91ca]

Yes thats precisely what Im saying

Ok, I probably shouldn't as I don't really care too much about the comparison, I'm not the biggest fanboy or the biggest irrational hater of either player, but I'll bite anyway.

Out of curiosity, what is your rationale for suggesting Ovechkin's 2023/24 season, for example, is better than Matthews' 2021/22 season?

 

[elmaco]

Ahh the ever growing legend of Lindros keeps growing far beyond how good he ever was.

In 20 years, Eric Lindros is going to be remembered as a 7'10 monster who turns green when he's angry and fight entire teams while scoring 10 goals a game.

I'll always remember him as a guy who could dish it out but never take it back.

View attachment 1016992

Lindros is the most overrated player in history, always kept his gaze on the puck and head down like a rookie, its just sad to watch nowadays.

 

[Mrb1p]

Ok, I probably shouldn't as I don't really care too much about the comparison, I'm not the biggest fanboy or the biggest irrational hater of either player, but I'll bite anyway.

Out of curiosity, what is your rationale for suggesting Ovechkin's 2023/24 season, for example, is better than Matthews' 2021/22 season?

Ovis a winner, he plays the right way and produces just as much.

The fallacy that Matthews is good defensively needs to die.

 

[ColbyChaos]

In one single season at his peak, and I wasn’t mad

He hasnt though in any single season. There is nothing that props Glassthews above any single of McDavid or a rookie Ovechkin (who performs even better with actual talent around him). Place Matthews on the 06 Caps where the best linemate he has is Zubrus and his numbers drop

 

[GrumpyKoala]

Id take Matthew very first game in a heartbeat but it's all downhill after that.

 

[Maplebeasts]

Ovechkin was better at every single point in his career than Matthews at every single point in his own career. They are not comparable players.

But that’s not the question the poll is asking. The poll is prime Matthews vs rookie Ovi.

 

[Mrb1p]

But that’s not the question the poll is asking. The poll is prime Matthews vs rookie Ovi.

Yes, I've answered by saying that Ovechkin in every single year hes played is better than Matthews.

Rookie Ovi is like the 3rd best version of Ovi or so, of course he's better.

 

[Maplebeasts]

Yes, I've answered by saying that Ovechkin in every single year hes played is better than Matthews.

Rookie Ovi is like the 3rd best version of Ovi or so, of course he's better.

Nah man Rookie Ovechkin didn’t win any hardware (outside of the Calder), and scored less goals and points without being a centre getting Selke votes. Nobody here thinks Matthews is an equivalent player career wise but prime Matthews definitely has a good case for being better than rookie Ovi.

 

[Fatass]

Young OV, prime OV, and old OV. All years of OV are preferable to AM

 

[authentic]

Lindros is the most overrated player in history, always kept his gaze on the puck and head down like a rookie, its just sad to watch nowadays.

His actual impact when playing has become underrated by many though, probably by a lot who never watched him.

 

[Toby91ca]

Ovis a winner, he plays the right way and produces just as much.

The fallacy that Matthews is good defensively needs to die.

So did you want to provide your rationale for the comparison of those years or no?

 

[Mrb1p]

Nah man Rookie Ovechkin didn’t win any hardware (outside of the Calder), and scored less goals and points without being a centre getting Selke votes. Nobody here thinks Matthews is an equivalent player career wise but prime Matthews definitely has a good case for being better than rookie Ovi.

LMAO. This is crazy. Ovechkin in 05 was literally the most exciting player ever. He scored 52 and had 106 points on the worst team in the league. He had a 49 points lead on Dainius f***ing Zubrus for the scoring lead on his team.

This is just ignorance and or homerism. Shame on you. Rookie Ovechkin clears the Matthews, and shall I say, historic Leaf gauntlet. Sorry for your poverty franchise.

 

[Mrb1p]

So did you want to provide your rationale for the comparison of those years or no?

You don't need a rationale if youre not a Leaf homer, its easy to see.

 

[Toby91ca]

You don't need a rationale if youre not a Leaf homer, its easy to see.

Not a Leaf fan, let alone a homer....but no need to continue this discussion obviously.....

 

[MoneyManny]

Young Ovechkin was the most entertaining player to watch by far. A freight train.

 

[Maplebeasts]

He hasnt though in any single season. There is nothing that props Glassthews above any single of McDavid or a rookie Ovechkin (who performs even better with actual talent around him). Place Matthews on the 06 Caps where the best linemate he has is Zubrus and his numbers drop

Rookie Matthews finished tied for second for the Rocket playing with Zach Hyman and Connor Brown. He only started to regularly play with elite linemates 3 seasons ago.

 

[Plural]

Rookie Matthews finished tied for second for the Rocket playing with Zach Hyman and Connor Brown. He only started to regularly play with elite linemates 3 seasons ago.

He was 23rd in points and led his team with 7 and 8 points over 2nd and 3rd. Ovechkin was 3rd and led his team by nearly 50 points.

Those are not remotely comparable rookie seasons.

 

[geebster]

It's real tough to compare players in different eras in totally different contexts/teams by stats. Thats probably why some Matthews fans are confused by people voting Ovechkin or write it off as an anti Leafs bias or something.

In reality, because it is hard to compare apples to apples on stats people compare attributes. Sure, Matthews is better defensively but the intensity gap is immense. One of the two would make sure his impact was felt in every playoff game. He'd either score or make the key play or throw someone through the boards. A young Ovechkin is who I would take for any game that matters unless I already have offensive production and just need a two way center who won't reliably produce but will reliably shut others down.

If you weren't cheering for either and you watched Matthews in his average game 7 and then watched Ovie in a similar game... which one does better on the eye test? Which one seems to care more, which one ramps it up more?

I think a lot of these discussions are pretty unfair to Matthews. Just like all the tweets and threads and posts about Matthews being better than McDavid a few years back it just creates unnecessary backlash. Matthews isn't McDavid and he isnt Kucherov or Mackinnon, but he is a superstar and is one of the greatest two way players in the league. He's a 2nd tier superstar and arguably top tier in the regular season most years. He isnt Ovechkin but that's not a knock on him... not many players are better than Ovechkin.