'Pure Disrespect': Fans Sound Off on Auston Matthews' NHL Network Ranking
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The NHL Network's recent player rankings have fans up in arms after Auston Matthews' ranking of 15th was seen as total disrespect to the Maple Leafs captain.
As we count down the days until the regular season starts, the NHL has decided to release their Top 50 players and there are certainly some well-deserved rankings with names like Matthew Tkachuk, Brayden Point and Mikko Rantanen all slotting into the Top-20.
Auston Matthews' Ranking Stuns Fans
But one player who also appeared in that list was Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who fell drastically from third last year after his 69-goal campaign, to 15th this season behind guys like Rantanen as well as Kirill Kaprizov.
It was an expected drop due to his lack of goal-scoring and injuries but seeing him drop down so low is quite the shock considering that he is still one of the best players in the world.
One thing to note however is that Matthews was still able to earn a spot over former teammate Mitch Marner, and this season is going to be a neck and neck shootout between the two all year.
Fans didn't seem too happy with the rankings either and took to social media to voice their displeasure:
Although some fans are hoping that Matthews takes this lower ranking as motivation to come out firing next year:
How Auston Matthews Can Use His Ranking To Help Maple Leafs
Seeing that Matthews is focused heavily on this season and how he can bounce back, you can best believe he's going to hear of this and use it as a way to prove his doubters wrong.
Not only does he have a lot to prove coming off an injury-riddled season, but the fact he no longer has Mitch Marner beside him also brings a whole slew of new questions and concerns.
But Matthews is anything but your regular star player, and his complete and well-rounded game will only improve with him being healthy, and if he can get back to his goal-scoring ways, could end up flirting with 100+ points himself.
It's clear that the attitude around Toronto is one of unity, and with his latest actions in practice it's become clear that Matthews not only leads the team, but is willing to show others some credit when it's due.
That combined with a healthy Matthews ready to prove people wrong means that we could be on the cusp of seeing something truly magical happen in Toronto.
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