canuktravella Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 7 hours ago, oldnews said: Leafs blogger in need of some attention: (Best thing out of Laffland since they proclaimed themselves "Canada's Best Team.") http://editorinleaf.com/2017/01/02/toronto-maple-leafs-matthews-mcdavid/ Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews Is Better Than McDavid I have walked around with a thought on a Toronto Maple Leafs player in my head for a long time, one that I did not dare say out loud. Perhaps it is this new age world where any diversion from the norm is met with the scorn of a thousand angry liberals, but I was afraid. But as of 3:40 into overtime in today’s NHL Centennial Classic with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, I will stay silent no more! Auston Matthews is better than Connor McDavid. Advertisement That feels good to get off my chest. Its something I have suspected for quite a while, and only gotten recent confirmation on. Ill try and unpack this surely alien concept as best as one can after eating half of a large Domino’s pizza. Argument 1: He’s Heavy (In best Ken Hitchcock voice) One of the most impressive things about Matthews and his line mates (usually Hyman + either Nylander or Brown) is their ability to cycle the puck deep, and generate scoring plays. This is the type of play that wins Stanley Cups. Sure, anyone can hit homers in June, but who can get the bunt down in October? You need to have a skillset that translates to the playoff grind. In addition to having an amazingly underrated shot, Matthews has a nose for the net. He is not afraid to go to the dirty areas and score. He reminds me of a Mario Lemieux / Dave Andreychuk / Jaromir Jagr hybrid. Not to put too much (more) pressure on the guy, but he probably is going to score 500 goals from a 6-foot radius in front of the net. Another bonus to Matthews’ size is you wouldn’t see a Kadri muscle him. Ever. I love Nazem Kadri, but if you think a guy of that size would manhandle Matthews like Kadri did to McDavid, keep dreaming. Connor McDavid’s number 1 asset is his speed, but that edge is surely made up for by Matthews’ heaviness. Argument 2: He Plays Defense I have watched a lot of Edmonton Oilers hockey. More than I would wish upon my worst enemy. I’m just not a believer in Connor McDavid’s defensive acumen. I loved it when Kadri stripped him of the puck and scored the game winner in the Oilers vs. Leafs part one. Then he proceeded to go cry to the referee, albeit unsuccessfully. On 12/23/16 I watched the San Jose Sharks defeat the Oilers in overtime. Here is a clip of the goal: I realize most Leafs fans are not degenerates such as myself and stay up watching West Coast games. For those of you who do, high five! But for those who do not, let me tee this up. The San Jose Sharks are an amazing overtime team. When they get the puck, they just do laps around the ice until you miscue and then they strike. It’s a brilliant strategy. On this particular play, McDavid does some sort of half-assed stick check and tries to cheat up the boards, hoping his defenseman will bail him out / spring him on a breakaway. Talk about some lazy play! Pay close attention to the 40 second + mark. The lollygagging skate back into the zone, while Labanc buries the winner. Guy behind me at #Oilers game tonight: “Look at Mcdavid’s lazy backcheck… You know who else backchecked like that? Yakupov..” #OilersFans — Ryan Craig (@RyanCraig04) December 14, 2016 I know its only 2 plays, but they are both OT losers courtesy of the “Next One”. You’d be hard-pressed to show me evidence of Matthews being so lazy /soft/selfish. I think Matthews being given the assignment of matching up against Henrik Zetterberg today shows you what Coach Babcock thinks of his defensive responsibility. Argument 3: He is a Big Game Hunter Matthews scored 4 goals his first game. In addition, he has scored the Leafs opening goal in 9 occasions this year. His overtime winner tonight was a near perfect backhander. This isn’t a player who is padding his score sheet with a dozen PP goals, like some people. Ill give you a hint: rhymes with Hat trick Swine-eh. When the bright lights are shining and game is on the line, this is a guy who thrives. Precisely the type of player you dream of building your team around. Auston Matthews has 14 goals in his last 17 games. Now chasing only Crosby for NHL lead. — James Mirtle (@mirtle) January 1, 2017 Conclusion: At the end of the day, no one is going to doubt McDavid’s blazing speed and knack for scoring. Like Matthews, he is basically the driver on his line at all times. They have different skill sets, but in my opinion Auston Matthews’ happens to be one I’d rather have on a team looking to win. Next: Takeaways From The Centennial Classic If I was a betting man, I’d put the farm on McDavid having more Art Ross trophies, but Matthews finishing with more Hart’s and Stanley Cups. Thanks for reading, and as always, please feel free to give me any feedback on Twitter. Happy New Year! man this article is a trash fluff piece i hate the leafs garbage media and fans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabiogooseface Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Not surprising. They were about 10 feet up his arse and basically calling him a future hall of famer over on The Score as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
on the cycle Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I've seen them both play....... It's not even close. McDavid is better, his production is incredible and he is unbelievably fast. I get that Leafs nation only cares about.....well leafs nation but they really ought to be realistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshinefe Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 They're both great young players. Matthews is going to be a big time goal scorer. McDavid is the next face of the NHL though, his skating and overall skills in all facets are something I haven't seen since a healthy Crosby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cromeslab Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Like to hear what Edmonton fans feel about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluralsight Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Did Darren Dreger write this article? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokes Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 15 hours ago, HerrDrFunk said: Yeah, it really burns my ass that we weren't good enough to get Laine but weren't bad enough to land Matthews. Not that we weren't good enough just that Linden the Cnucks have some sort of hex on them when it comes to lotteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 We all laugh at the Leafs fan thinking for Matthews is better than McDavid. Meanwhile there is a Canucks fan on this very forum who thinks we could trade Miller for the 1st overall pick. Point is: some people just aren't very smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 3 hours ago, Cromeslab said: Like to hear what Edmonton fans feel about this. https://www.google.ca/search?q=mcdavid+matthews&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=70ptWNqaDtXQjwOdvbrQCQ#q=mcdavid+matthews&tbm=nws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammertime Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 And Eggos are better than Belgian Waffles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 I don't even care because I'm a kassian fanboy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 22 hours ago, Down by the River said: Taking a post from a blog and critiquing it on a forum is like taking a post from a forum and critiquing it on a blog. " I think my cerebellum just fused" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFBR392 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Toronto fans get gifted an elite prospect but still manage to get pissy when people don't consider him a generational one. Who cares. Just be happy that you have an elite #1 center to lead your team for the next 10-15 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBackup Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Matthews has some aspects of his game that are superior to McDavid's, yes. I would still take McDavid over Matthews ten times out of ten, and I think most of the hockey world outside the Centre of the Universe agrees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neko Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 They're both good but McDavid has a much higher ceiling, he's going to be something to see for years to come. However his chances of getting severe concussion is pretty high which can alter or shorten his career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKSR Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Forget McDavid, apparently this guy is the next coming of Gretzky and Lemieux! http://imgur.com/a/zHg5N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB5 Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 This would be like saying that Mats Sundin was better than Mario Lemieux. One player was great, the other was elite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 And he's got a good looking body. He's a reeeeal good looking guy. A lot of girth. Impressive body. No flab. Real good body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEON.KNEE Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 On 1/3/2017 at 6:17 PM, HerrDrFunk said: Yeah, it really burns my ass that we weren't good enough to get Laine but weren't bad enough to land Matthews. Jeezuz, this entirely sums up for out to lunch Bettman and his Cronies are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbox Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Hey McDavid only has 14 goals he's a scrub. On a serious note, I love how the last 4 major franchise player prospects are on Canadian teams. McDavid, Laine and Matthews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.