Former Leafs trade target throws shade at Matthews, McDavid and identifies the best player in the world

Obviously, these 3 players are the most dominant for a variety of reasons; McDavid with his blazing speed and elite playmaking, Matthews with his unparalleled goal scoring ability and two-way play, and MacKinnon with his explosiveness and dogged nature. All 3 of these players are often at or near the top of the list in goals, assists and/or points each and every year, so there are different arguments to make as to who is the best player and why.

Why is this conversation relevant? Well, one of the Leafs' trade targets from earlier this season, Nikita Zadorov, breached the topic on Wednesday, ahead of the Canucks/Avalanche game.

Earlier this season, Zadorov and his agent, Dan Milstein, welcomed the idea of a trade to Toronto. Unfortunately the Flames and Leafs were unable to get a deal done and the Vancouver Canucks swooped in and landed Zadorov, leaving the Leafs to turn their attention elsewhere, with the Buds ultimately landing Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson to bolster the back end.

On Wednesday, Zadorov shared his thoughts on who the best player is between McDavid, Matthews and MacKinnon. Without any hesitation whatsoever, Zadorov named MacKinnon "the best player in the world". He also fired a shot at McDavid and Matthews by stating that MacKinnon is a winner, implying that the Oilers and Leafs can't win with McDavid and Matthews.

Obviously, the Oilers and Leafs have both underachieved since drafting their franchise cornerstones 1st overall in 2015 and 2016. For the Oilers, at least they have some playoff success to show for their efforts. In Toronto, we have been able to celebrate just one single round win in the entire Matthews era, which has been disappointing to say the least.

I can see Zadorov's argument to an extent, and MacKinnon is a fantastic player, make no mistake about it, but when comparing him to McDavid and Matthews, it's like comparing a Lamborghini to a Bugatti and a Ferrari. They're all absolute units and there's a case to be made for each being the best in the world. It just depends on the criteria.

Using a championship to dictate who is better is tough when you're talking about a team sport. MacKinnon likely doesn't win a Cup without Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen or Gabriel Landeskog also playing out of their minds. I respect Zadorov's opinion, but it's a lot closer than he's making it sound.