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Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews and the Top 3 Centres in the NHL

By Jeremy Franks

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 29: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers battles for the puck against Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 29, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 29: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers battles for the puck against Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 29, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

A Deeper Look At The Top 3

The trophy cases of McDavid, Matthews, and MacKinnon will likely soon require additional storage space at their respective homes.

The three of them have collected more than their fair share of hardware, with more to follow as they each navigate through the prime of their careers.

McDavid has collected 5 Art Ross trophies for most points, 3 Hart Memorial awards for MVP, 4 Ted Lindsay awards (player voted MVP) along with last season’s Rocket Richard trophy for most goals. (All statistics courtesy of NHL.com.)

Matthews is a 2-time Rocket Richard winner, a Hart and Ted Lindsay winner from 2021-2022, and has a Calder trophy (top rookie) from 2016-2017.

MacKinnon won the Calder in 2013-2014 and Lady Byng in 2019-2020, but has the trophy McDavid and Matthews want most, the Stanley Cup that he won in 2021-2022.

The edge here goes to McDavid, despite MacKinnon being the only one of the three able to call himself a Stanley Cup champion.

A Breakdown of the Big 3’s Traditional and Advanced Scoring Stats

McDavid has 850 career points, MacKinnon 759, and Matthews 542. On a points-per-game basis, this equates to 1.49 for McDavid, 1.13 for Matthews, and 1.09 for MacKinnon.

The career goal totals of all three are closely bunched. McDavid stands at 303, followed by Matthews at 299, and MacKinnon at 281.

McDavid leads in assists with 547, then MacKinnon at 475, with Matthews trailing at 243.

Advanced stats are closely aligned between the three players.

McDavid leads in career point shares (100.7), followed by MacKinnon (87.4), then Matthews (71.8). Matthews has a career Corsi-For percentage of 53.8, McDavid is 53.3, then MacKinnon at 52.4.

The shot attempt differential for all three players is also similar across their careers. McDavid’s numbers range from 9.1-23.2, Matthews 7.4-25.6, and MacKinnon 5.0-32.7. (All statistics courtesy of HockeyReference.com.)

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