Both Matthews and McDavid are elite talents; they are both the best players on their respected teams and look to both take over as the best players for their country within the next couple seasons.
Your damned right Matthews is in the same category as McDavid.
When you score 40 goals as a rookie in the National Hockey League you instantly acquire stud status. Not to mention the Leafs were in last place the season before, and the icing on the cake both of his wingers were rookies (Hyman and Nylander).
Matthews may not have the point per game plus stats that McDavid puts up, but he’s a much better goal scorer as he has a quality NHL shot and his release is just riveting. McDavid is more of a speedster who can move in tight places and just loves to dangle the defenders leaving their jock straps at the blue line. He doesn’t have the shot that Matthews has, but his hands are softer than butter as he has no problem dancing around the defenders and making the goaltender guess wrong just about every time.
I don’t know if there is another hockey player ever that has the speed and hands that McDavid possess. It’s simply off the charts.
McDavid is the Captain of the Edmonton Oilers and I don’t think us Leafs fans will have to wait very long for Matthews to have the C stitched on the front of his Maple Leafs jersey. They are both leaders and both make their line mates/teammates better players because of their presence on the ice.
As of now McDavid has the upper hand after a whopping sophomore season posting 100 points in 82 games. Truth be told, I don’t think Matthews will ever produce the same amount of points as Connor, but that doesn’t mean he’s any worse of a player. Auston plays a 200 foot game, and plays it well. He’s always positioned properly when it comes to a break out, or back check or along the boards/infront of the net on the power play. Matthews is a very smart player who uses his size and strength whereas McDavid uses his speed and skill to weave through the opponents.
Each method is obviously effective and each player brings in glory and hope for their franchises which were both desperate for success. Every team in the NHL that plays against the Leafs or Oilers will have a talk about how to focus on Matthews/McDavid just before the game starts. They have video on some of their tendencies and will try to keep them off the scoresheet as best they can without putting too much attention on them which opens up another player to have a gift wrapped goal.
Connor McDavid has 148 points in 127 games.
Auston Matthews has 69 points in 82 games.
But there is something special about scoring goals, remember there are two assists to every goal and goals win games.
McDavid has 11 game winning goals including 2 overtime game winners. (127 games)
Mattews has 8 game winning goals including an overtime game winner. (82 games)
Shot totals (2016-17): McDavid-251 Matthews-279
Scoring goals is a huge part of a team’s success. Obviously someone has to setup these goals though, and that’s where McDavid shines. Matthews is a goal scoring machine, as everyone knows he scored 4 in his first NHL game.
Both players are exceptional, and both players have changed the look of their franchises and are now heading in the right direction and making the playoffs for each team is a must going forward. The Oilers and the Leafs were pretty awful before joining their respected NHL teams, funny how quickly things turned around for each team once they got into the mix.
I think it’s safe to say McDavid has the upper hand right now and is likely the best player in the NHL at this present moment (sorry Crosby, but it’s the truth). But to not say Matthews is in the conversation when it comes to talking about the league’s best, that’s just selling him short. He’s a year younger than McDavid and it will be very interesting to see how his point totals rise with Marleau on his wing (if that’s what route Babcock goes with).
Is there a better player to compare to McDavid than Matthews? Both first round picks, both franchise changing players…I think not.
Thanks for reading!