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Toronto Maple Leafs: Where Does Auston Matthews Rank Among Young NHL Stars?

By Eric Cruikshank

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 28: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck during an NHL pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena on September 28, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 28: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck during an NHL pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena on September 28, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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VANCOUVER, BC – DECEMBER 01: Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck while Brock Boeser #6 of the Vancouver Canucks gives chase during NHL action at Rogers Arena on December 1, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – DECEMBER 01: Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck while Brock Boeser #6 of the Vancouver Canucks gives chase during NHL action at Rogers Arena on December 1, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

#3 – Leon Draisaitl

After an explosive 105 point season in which he became the first Oiler to score 50 goals in over 30 years, the 24 year old German forward has continued his torrid pace into the 2019-20 season.

As he jockeys between first and second place with teammate Connor McDavid, Draisatil is currently second in the NHL in points with 48 points in 28 games.

When ranking him among these other players it is hard to ignore the fact that so much of Draisaitl’s success comes with the fact he plays alongside Connor McDavid in almost every situation, but his defensive upside is what puts him above majority of the names on this list.

Draisaitl plays over 88% of his team-leading 22:53 minutes of ice time with McDavid, and has solidified himself as one of the most complimentary power forwards in the NHL. He has also been instrumental in the resurgence of the Oilers power play that has gone from being worst in the league just two seasons ago to currently sitting second at 30.8%.

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