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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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Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 14: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche skates past a down Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 14, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Avalanche defeated the Maple Leafs 6-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

#2 – Nathan Mackinnon

Nathan Mackinnon entered the conversation for best player in the league after a breakout 97 point year in the 2017-18 season which was good for fifth in the entire league, not to mention he only scored 53 points in the previous season.

Mackinnon also plays on one of the deadliest lines in the league alongside Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog, but Mackinnon has yet to play with his desired line this season, and has continued to dominate, especially as of late.

Mackinnon broke a franchise record for most points in the month of November with 25, doing so while playing just one game with Rantanen on his wing. MacKinnon is also riding a seven game point streak with 16 points during his current scoring tear, to add to his 42 points in 26 games this year.

He is one of the most explosive players in the league, and has some of the best acceleration in the league. From a standing position, MacKinnon is able to bounce his way around the ice and is one of the fastest players in the league, and is arguably faster with the puck on his stick.

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