By JD Lagrange – Living in Canada, you almost have to be a hockey fan. While Lacrosse is, for some odd reasons, considered to be the National Sport, hockey is the passion. It’s what gets the motor ticking, the sport most followed in this beautiful and vast country. And with seven teams to choose from, you have fans everywhere. The issue? All major sports’ media outlets are located in… Toronto.
It’s the biggest market, the biggest population, the biggest advertising dollars and for those reasons, the Maple Leafs are the most talked about franchise on those networks. It certainly isn’t based on success as the Montreal Canadiens have won almost twice as many Stanley Cups. The Maple Leafs haven’t won the Cup since 1967 and haven’t even won a playoffs’ series in nearly two decades!
But with the Toronto bias, comes injustice and frustration across the nation. The other six teams get very little coverage, or the attention that they deserve. If a Leafs’ player is doing well, that’s all you hear about on those networks. Auston Matthews, last season, polarized their attention due to his 60 goals pace and eventually achievement. Yet, in Edmonton, Connor McDavid had a better season. This year, it was all about Mitch Marner and his points’ streak. But the Toronto bias is having its fair share of humble pie this season…
So on this time changing weekend, I felt compelled to set the clocks to the right time. Is Auston Matthews really in the same category as Connor McDavid as a player? Not just this season, but overall? I was under the impression that he’s not and I have set to show why… coming from someone OUTSIDE of Toronto.
I’ve chosen to compare Matthews to two other centers that are closer to his skills’ set. Just to appease the Toronto fanatics, I’ve also included McDavid’s comparables below those tables. Have a look for yourself.
THIS SEASON
| DRAISAITL | MACKINNON | MATTHEWS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEIGHT | 6’2″ | 6’0″ | 6’3″ |
| WEIGHT | 208 | 200 | 205 |
| DRAFT | 3rd overall 2014 | 1st overall 2013 | 1st overall 2016 |
| GP | 64 | 52 | 57 |
| G | 41 | 27 | 29 |
| A | 56 | 50 | 33 |
| PTS | 97 | 77 | 62 |
| PTS/GP | 1.52 | 1.48 | 1.09 |
| TOI/GP | 22:00 | 22:22 | 19:57 |
| PP TOI/GP | 4:02 | 4:04 | 3:39 |
| SH TOI/GP | 0:42 | 0:07 | 0:03 |
| FO WON | 613 | 413 | 429 |
| FO % | 53.7% | 45.5% | 52.9% |
| CAP HIT | $8.5M | $6.3M | $11.64M |
McDavid
| GP | G | A | PTS | PTS/GP | TOI/GP | PP TOI/GP | SH TOI/GP | FO WON | FO % |
| 66 | 64 | 70 | 124 | 1.88 | 22:42 | 3:59 | 1:18 | 419 | 51.9% |
So when considering all aspects, the rankings, this season, are:
- Connor McDavid
- Leon Draisaitl
- Nathan MacKinnon
- Auston Matthews
LAST 3 SEASONS
Predictable as always, you know that Leafs’ fans will claim as an excuse that their boy is not having a good season and the comparison isn’t fair. So in all fairness, let’s include last year too. In fact, to get an even clearer picture, why don’t we include the year before too?
| DRAISAITL | MACKINNON | MATTHEWS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GP | 200 | 165 | 182 |
| G | 127 | 79 | 130 |
| A | 164 | 151 | 104 |
| PTS | 291 | 230 | 234 |
| PTS/GP | 1.46 | 1.39 | 1.29 |
| TOI/GP | 22:12 | 21:16 | 20:40 |
| PP TOI/GP | 4:01 | 3:56 | 3:19 |
| SH TOI/GP | 0:46 | 0:04 | 0:05 |
| FO WON | 2,072 | 1,034 | 1,570 |
| FO % | 54.1% | 46.1% | 54.0% |
McDavid
| GP | G | A | PTS | PTS/GP | TOI/GP | PP TOI/GP | SH TOI/GP | FO WON | FO % |
| 202 | 131 | 221 | 352 | 1.74 | 22:18 | 3:56 | 0:32 | 1,297 | 52.1% |
The past three seasons combined, Connor McDavid has scored one more goal than Auston Matthews. Granted, he has managed to better survive the grind of a NHL season, having played more games. For the fact that he’s been healthier and outscored the Toronto protege is an eye opener. Points-wise? It’s not even close.
The rankings for the past three seasons are as follows:
- Connor McDavid
- Leon Draisaitl
- Nathan MacKinnon & Auston Matthews (tie)
PLAYOFFS
Many players are catalogued with their playoffs’ performances, in addition to their regular season. Nathan MacKinnon is the only one of those players with a Stanley Cup but let’s look at their personal contribution to the success of their team, career-wise.
| DRAISAITL | MACKINNON | MATTHEWS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GP | 37 | 70 | 39 |
| G | 18 | 41 | 17 |
| A | 41 | 52 | 16 |
| PTS | 59 | 93 | 33 |
| PTS/GP | 1.59 | 1.33 | 0.85 |
| TOI/GP | 22:02 | 21:44 | 21:19 |
| PP TOI/GP | 3:57 | 3:59 | 3:18 |
| SH TOI/GP | 0:37 | 0:03 | 0:02 |
| FO WON | 323 | 415 | 335 |
| FO % | 48.9% | 46.0% | 53.3% |
McDavid
| GP | G | A | PTS | PTS/GP | TOI/GP | PP TOI/GP | SH TOI/GP | FO WON | FO % |
| 37 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 1.49 | 23:33 | 3:57 | 0:51 | 175 | 45.6% |
The playoffs’ rankings are:
- Leon Draisaitl
- Connor McDavid
- Nathan MacKinnon
- Auston Matthews
CONCLUSION
It is clear, reading comments on social media, that few Eastern fans follow the Western Conference teams closely. For example, I don’t know how often I’ve read Leafs’ fans claiming that Matthews is a 200-foot player while downplaying McDavid’s defensive game. It cannot be further from the truth. This season, McDavid is used regularly on the penalty kill even, something Matthews, Draisaitl and MacKinnon don’t do.
I felt that last year’s votes for the Hart and Lindsay Awards were an insult to McDavid, who was (and still is) the best player in the world. I get it, just like in the times of Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby’s prime seasons, some people (players included) get tired of always praising the same guy over and over again. So they try to be “different” and “imaginative”, and try changing things up. Last season, too many were mesmerized by the 60 goals, in my opinion. Matthews was the best goals’ scorer. He was not the best player.
In fact, Matthews has never been the very best player in the NHL and he doesn’t have what it takes to ever be. This is McDavid’s league and guys like Draisaitl, MacKinnon and yes, Matthews, are all a notch below the Oilers’ number 97. Let’s see what the upcoming Connor (Bedard) can do one day…
