Editor In Leaf
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive Vs. Defensive Play Comparisons

When it comes to goal-scoring Matthews has the clear edge. McDavid has publicly stated that he studied Matthews to help with his shooting. A huge compliment to Matthews.

It worked, based on McDavid’s career high in goals last year, but Matthews is still the top sniper.

He announced himself to the NHL with a four-goal debut against the Ottawa Senators and has overtaken Alex Ovechkin as the league standard for goal-scoring.

Matthews leads the NHL in total goals scored since his debut during the 2016-2017 season. He has also led the NHL in even-strength goals on four different occasions. His career goals-per-game average is far above McDavid and MacKinnon.

While Matthews is the standard in goal-scoring, McDavid is unmatched in his playmaking ability.

McDavid has led the NHL in assists on three different occasions and for his career, he averages almost one assist per game.

MacKinnon is no slouch in dishing off assists and he will soon reach 500 for his career.

McDavid is the best playmaker of the trio, followed by MacKinnon, then Matthews.

Comparing the trio defensively, there is more discrepancy in their stats.

Only Matthews is strong in the face-off circle. His rookie season was the only time that he finished with less than a 50% winning rate. For the rest of his career, he has won draws at a rate of 51.9-56.2%.

McDavid has had a success rate of over 50% in only two of his eight NHL seasons. In the past two years, he was at 53.7 and 51.9. He has improved, but he doesn’t approach Matthews’ consistency.

The most surprising of the three is MacKinnon. He has had one single season over 50% in his ten-year career.

Matthews is the best of the three on draws, and it’s not close.

None of the three play much short-handed, so most of their shot-blocking numbers come during even-strength play, but it is interesting to compare nonetheless.

Their 82-game averages for block shots over their careers are as follows: Matthews 76, MacKinnon 40, and McDavid 32.

The last defensive metric to dissect is giveaways/takeaways. Throughout their careers Matthews is +100 (477/377), McDavid is +69 (563/494), and MacKinnon is -51 (389/440).  (All statistics courtesy of HockeyReference.com.)

Matthews has a significant edge in all three defensive categories. He is the better defensive player, with McDavid lagging in second, and MacKinnon last.

Home/Analysis