NHL Network Selling Auston Matthews Short After Quiet Season With Maple Leafs

With the regular season fast approaching, the NHL Network has revealed their top-20 lists over the last few weeks, ranging from defensemen, wingers, and now centres.

There weren't too many surprises within their top-10, however Auston Matthews' placement is certainly a head scratcher and one that deserves a deeper look after he was ranked #3 in last year's rankings.

The Toronto Maple Leafs captain came in 7th place, behind Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Aleksander Barkov, Sidney Crosby, and Jack Eichel.

On any given night you can make the argument for the top-3 as McDavid, MacKinnon, and Draisaitl are just a cut above the rest. Additionally, Barkov has found himself near the top with his performances over the last two playoff runs, primarily in the Finals where he neutralized McDavid in crunch time.

However, with Crosby and Eichel, it becomes debatable. Their placement could do with the fact that the former is an age-less wonder who doesn't seem to be slowing down, whereas the former just came through with his first season at over 90 points.

As for Matthews, it was a quieter season than what we're used to seeing. Injuries slowed him down but he still managed 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games. The 33 goals represented his lowest total since his sophomore season but he was only one assist shy of matching his career-high, all while missing 15 games.

The former MVP is just 2 years removed from a 69-goal campaign, where he toppled the 100-point barrier for the first time. Had he not been derailed by a mysterious ailment at the start of the season, he was definitely in line to at least cross the 40-goal mark for the 7th time in his career.

With Mitch Marner departing for Vegas, Matthews should be in line for a lot more offensive opportunities, and barring injuries, he'll be expected to come near his career-mark of 0.63 goals per game, which is good for over 52 per season.

When all is said and done with the 2025-26 season, expect Matthews to be jockeying for position with the centres ahead of him in NHL Network's top-20 rankings.