Has Leafs' Matthews passed the NHL's elite?

After one season, he is already being considered one of the best in the NHL.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Has Leafs' Matthews passed the NHL's elite?
Keystone Press

It is no surprise that Auston Matthews made a statement last season. He proved that he belongs in the NHL for a long time and has potential to be one of the greatest of all time for the blue and white. The next question is: Is he already elite?  NHL Network seems to believe so.


In a recent list of the top 20 centers in the NHL, Auston Matthews was listed at number 4 which seems pretty high to many considering he just has one regular season under his belt. What is interesting about this list is who Matthews is ahead of. Players like John Tavares, Niklas Backstrom, Steven Stamkos and Tyler Seguin have all taken the backseat to Matthews. Another interesting factor to point out is the amount of seasoned centers who have won the Stanley cup that did not even crack the top 10. This includes Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron. It seems like Auston Matthews will have a lot of eyes watching him this year to see how he will do during his sophomore season. 

Source: NHL Network