Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews Slighted in ESPN Player Rankings

Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews Slighted in ESPN Player Rankings

Ranking Draisaitl ahead of Matthews is an egregious error. While their traditional stats are somewhat similar (points per game and goals scored), a deeper dive shows the Leafs center is the better player.

They have each won a Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. Draisaitl has won the Art Ross Trophy but Matthews is a three-time winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer.

Matthews has scored the most goals in the NHL since he entered the league. His goal-scoring pace is on par with Ovechkin's , who is on his way to a new NHL career standard. The Maple Leafs center also scores more even-strength goals than Draisaitl.

Both Matthews and Draisaitl are supported by star players within their team's lineup, but Draisaitl has the benefit of playing with McDavid, already considered a top-five player in the history of the NHL.

The biggest discrepancy between the two players is defense. Matthews is by far the better defender and he doesn't take occasional shifts on the wing like Draisaitl.

Matthews is consistently among the league leaders in takeaways, while rarely giving the puck away. In only two of his eight seasons did his giveaways outnumber his takeaways. Last season he was recognized with a Selke Trophy nomination as the league's best defensive forward.

The head-to-head comparison shows that there is no way Draisaitl should be ranked ahead of Matthews.