Auston Matthews enters Jim Hiller's first season with a fresh sting: EA Sports has ranked him outside the NHL 27 top 10 at center.
Matthews received a 92 overall rating, leaving him 11th among centers behind names including Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl and Nick Suzuki.
That placement would have been difficult to imagine after Matthews' dominant scoring years. But his latest season gave the ranking more ammunition than Leafs fans would like.
Matthews finished with 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games, the lowest offensive output of his NHL career.
The drop becomes sharper compared with the version of Matthews who scored 69 goals only 2 seasons earlier. That standard changed how every down year is judged.
EA's ranking doesn't decide anything on the ice, but it reflects a real shift in perception. Matthews is no longer automatically being placed alongside the league's very best centers.
“There was a time when putting Auston Matthews outside the NHL's top 10 centres would have sounded ridiculous. Now, EA Sports has done exactly that.”
- Professor Press Box
For Hiller, that makes the response more important than the rating. Toronto needs its captain driving the top six again rather than merely producing respectable numbers.
Auston Matthews development creates major problem for John Chayka
The question isn't whether Matthews has forgotten how to score. His career total sits at 428 goals, showing how high his established offensive level has been.
The question is whether last season represented a temporary drop or the beginning of a different stage in his career.
“Twenty-seven goals and 53 points aren't bad numbers for most players. For Auston Matthews, they're startling.”
- Professor Press Box
Toronto has tried to change the support around him. Gavin McKenna brings another dynamic offensive option, potentially reducing how often Matthews has to create everything himself.
“Matthews doesn't have to respond to the ranking. He can simply score 50 goals again-and force EA Sports to fix its list next year.”
- Professor Press Box
That could give Hiller more freedom with matchups and line combinations while allowing Matthews to concentrate on the areas that made him such a difficult player to contain.
There is no complicated response required from Matthews. If he returns to elite scoring form, a video-game ranking released in August becomes irrelevant very quickly.
If the production stays closer to last season's level, the debate gets much louder. Being outside the top 10 would stop looking like a surprise and start looking like a reflection of his new standing.
Matthews has spent years setting an extraordinary standard in Toronto. NHL 27 just delivered another reminder that the league's perception can move fast when the numbers do.
Source : Have Things Really Gotten This Bad for Auston Matthews?
Is Auston Matthews still one of the NHL's 10 best centers?
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