Is Auston Matthews the NHL’s Third-Best Centre?

A recent ranking published by NHL Network placed Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews as the third-best centre in the NHL. The ranking listed Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid first with the reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche second.

Then, the ranking places Auston Matthews at number three. At first glance, that top three makes sense. McDavid has been a scoring machine, winning numerous Art Ross Trophies. Meanwhile, MacKinnon has been the de facto captain for the Avs, putting up video game-like numbers in his own right.

So, Auston Matthews at number seems fitting. He’s won two of the last three Rocket Richard Trophies, capturing a Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay award, while nabbing a Selke nomination.

That’s when I began to question the ranking. Just how much better are McDavid and MacKinnon than Matthews?

Most would quickly point toward the fact that MacKinnon has one Cup. McDavid has at least made a trip to the Cup Final. Meanwhile, Matthews has only gotten past the first round once. However, that’s flawed logic.

You see, Matthews isn’t playing alone. Neither are McDavid or MacKinnon. The latter two have found success thanks to the overall team effort around them. We could argue that the Oilers and Avalanche could have been successful even without them.

That brings us back to Matthews. Matthews has emerged as one of the top two-way centres in the game. He can play a 200-foot game while popping pucks into the back of the net like nobody’s business.

McDavid and MacKinnon can’t really say the same thing. While excellent players, they lack the two-way abilities that Matthews shows. By that standard, we could argue that Aleksander Barkov is better than McDavid and MacKinnon.

If Matthews can morph into a Selke and Art Ross winner, there should be no question about who the best centre in the NHL would be.

Should Auston Matthews Be Ranked Higher Than Third?

Given the argument presented above, Matthews should be ranked higher than McDavid and MacKinnon. Neither McDavid nor MacKinnon have grown beyond their elite offensive capabilities.

Instead, Matthews has quietly evolved into a physical, defensive forward who uses his size and speed to create chances while minimising the opposition’s opportunities to score.

But just because I feel that Matthews is better than McDavid or MacKinnon, Matthews should be ranked higher. As a matter of fact, my viewpoint is that Barkov should be the best centre in today’s NHL. While Barkov won’t be winning any Rocket Richard or Art Trophies, he’s the complete package.

Based on those criteria, Barkov should be #1, with Matthews at #2. Barkov has proven he’s the real deal. This season, Matthews has his first real opportunity to show he’s one of the all-time greats. He’s gotten the “C” on his chest, a crowning achievement that now beckons him to become the leader the Toronto Maple Leafs have lacked since the days of Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin.