NHL Analyst Makes Assinine Comments About Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews

Auston Matthews is going into this season with a chip on his shoulder, as he scored 33 goals last season, less than half of the number of goals he had the season prior.

Without Mitch Marner by his side, there is a feeling that he is not going to be able to get back to the 50-goal plateau, which has led to lots of hot takes from hockey's most famous analysts.

For instance, the NHL Network recently put out a list that claimed Matthews was the seventh-best center in the NHL. Last year, he was ranked at number three.

Now, the NHL Network's team of analysts is trying to justify this list, and Mike Rupp is already coming through with some of the worst hot takes we have ever heard.

For instance, Rupp actually believes that Matthews could have been ranked a lot lower on the list. Why? Because he would prefer a healthy Jack Hughes.

While Hughes is a solid player for the New Jersey Devils, there is no real world in which you would want him over a healthy Matthews, who could score 70 goals.

At the end of the day, Matthews is going to have to have a big season; otherwise, some analysts out there are going to continue to doubt him.

Of course, one good year is enough to turn the tide, and without Marner, there is an opportunity for the captain to put the team on his back and throw all of the narratives out the window.

A 60-goal season from Matthews would be enough to shut a whole lot of people up.