Auston Matthews is a Superstar

The Toronto Maple Leafs were really bad the year before they drafted center Auston Matthews in the 2016 NHL Draft. He is only 21 years old and Matthews has lived up to the hype as a number one pick.

He made the playoffs in the first two seasons as a member of the Maple Leafs and they are most likely on their way to the postseason for the third straight season. Matthews has not won a playoff series yet in his career, but this is the year it most likely to happen.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a Stanley Cup or bust mentality this season. They sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 20-8 record and 40 points so far this season. The team has a goal differential of plus 29 and it is tied for the best in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Toronto has scored 102 goals as a team this season and Auston Matthews has scored 15 of them. He also has recorded eight assists. His plus/minus is 3.

Matthews scored two goals, including the game-winning goal with under three seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. For the sixth time this season, he has scored at least two goals in a game. Auston Matthews has only played in 14 games this season and he missed over a month because of a shoulder injury.

Matthews has played in only three games since returning from his injury and he has scored five goals and recorded two assists in that span. His plus/minus in that span is 4.

Auston Matthews has shown no signs of rust ever since returning and he has been a dominant player. This is why the Toronto Maple Leafs are so dangerous.

Matthews is also very lethal on the power play and he also has the ability to take over a game. Auston Matthews has that killer instinct mentality.

He can either be the first or second line centerman. Having players like John Tavares, Mitchell Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau, and Zach Hyman around help Auston Matthews out.

He will not be the kind of player that Connor McDavid is, and McDavid was the number one pick the year before Auston Matthews. Matthews is already a super star in this league no doubt, but Connor McDavid is another level compared to him.

He is more of a shoot first center and Connor McDavid is more of a past first center. Auston Matthews won the Rookie of the Year award for the 2016-2017 season. He scored 40 goals in his rookie year and he scored 34 goals last season. Matthews is on pace to score over 30 goals again this season.

He has recorded 29 assists in each of his first two seasons. His plus/minus in his rookie year was 2 and last year it was 25.

In the postseason in his rookie year, Matthews scored four goals and recorded one assist. His plus/minus was 2. In the postseason last year, he only scored one goal and recorded one assist. His plus/minus was -4.

Auston Matthews will have a chance to redeem himself most likely in the postseason. For the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a deep playoff run, he will have to continue playing like a superstar.

 

– Glenn Kaplan, WTF Sports Intern

 

Edited by Scott Edwards

BREAKING: Seattle to get NHL Team in 2021

 

Well, the rumors have become reality, as Seattle has officially been given an NHL team that will begin in the 2021 season. The vote was a unanimous one which is something you like to see, as it was finally time for the NHL to get Seattle involved. They will be the 32nd team in the National Hockey League, evening out both conferences. With this move, Arizona will move to the Central division when Seattle is ready to compete.

 

This comes just a season after the Vegas Golden Knights first NHL season which led them all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, and you have to believe the success of that expansion team and the continuous interest in Seattle to have the NHL come to their city.

 

Congratulations to the city of Seattle as they finally have accomplished their dreams of adding another team, hopefully the NBA can follow and get them a team soon.

 

More to come as Seattle will begin to prepare for the 2021 season.

 

– Scott Edwards, Creator of WTF Sports

TORONTO – Re-Signing Nylander was the Wrong Move

TORONTO – Resigning Nylander was the Wrong Move

The William Nylander Saga in Toronto has officially found it’s end result as the Maple Leafs have officially re-signed Nylander to a 6-year deal worth an annual average of $6.9 million. And while many may be happy in Toronto that they get to get Nylander back on the ice for their already dominant team, this is a move that just hurt your future with two certain players on the cusp of demanding money who are both better than Nylander… Mitch Marner and the face of the franchise, Auston Matthews.
As the first big time NHL holdout finds its end with an ultimate contract, this certainly was a bad move by the Leafs. Yes, I understand there is a real possibility that they win the Cup this year, but Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews are two guys you do not want to lose. The addition in the offseason of John Tavares and now this re-signing almost guarantees that one of their two stars will move on because they will not get the money that rightfully deserve. I was a big fan of the idea of a Nylander trade for the Leafs, because they would get a huge haul back and have the money to resign Matthews and Marner next season, but instead they kept the price incredibly high in hopes that they could re-sign him. So now, who do they keep and who eventually takes off? Let us compare these three players so you see what I am talking about.

William Nylander

william-nylander-contract
In back to back seasons, Nylander has scored 61 points with his career high in goals being 22 and his career high in assists being 41. While 61 is a great number at his young age of just 22, I feel his continuous struggles in the playoffs last season and at times during the season would have made them realize he may not be worth the contract they had given him.

Mitch Marner

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Marner has been a stud since he debuted in the show in 2016. In his first season where he totaled 77 games, he totaled 61 points. Yes, in his first season, he matched Nylander’s career best. Last season, he improved on those marks with a 69 point season and a dominant showing in the playoffs against the Bruins, where in seven games he totaled 9 points. And now this season, he is off to a scorching start, as he has played 26 games, totaling 36 points and is a plus 10 on the season so far. His point total ranks him third in the entire NHL. Clearly Marner, just 21 years old, is on his way to big things in the NHL, as this season may be his coming out party.

Auston Matthews

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The former first overall pick took the league by storm in his first season, totaling 40 goals and 69 points in his first season. Matthews is clearly the best out of the three, yet his continuous health problems may be the only thing holding him back from being the guy chosen by the Leafs (it won’t, but it could). Last season, he missed 20 games, yet finished with 63 points in 62 games in just his second season. And finally, this season he has only played 12 games but is off to ridiculous start with 12 goals and 19 total points so far. It is clear that as long as Matthews stays healthy, he is the best player on the ice most nights. He is the franchise, and he is the guy that Toronto will more than likely have to keep even after signing Tavares.

I feel as though the decision should have been simple to keep Matthews and Marner while accepting parting away with Nylander, but now because of this contract they may need to make a decision next season if neither wants to take a discount to stay in Toronto. However, Toronto is off to their best starts in years and may be the most fun team in hockey, so for the 2018-2019 season, let us just enjoy this dynamic, young team.

– Scott Edwards, Creator of WTF Sports

David Quinn Inspiring New York Rangers in First Season as Head Coach

After the New York Rangers were demolished 5-0 on the road in the last game of the regular season against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Rangers decided to fire Alain Vigneault as the head coach of the team. Under Vigneault, they made it to a Stanley Cup Final and they also had deep playoff runs, but New York had nothing to show for it.

The Rangers finished in last place in the Metropolitan Division last season. During the offseason, they decided to hire David Quinn as the new head coach. He coached at Boston University. The Dallas Stars and the Philadelphia Flyers are the other two teams in the league right now that have coaches that have coached at the NCAA level.

Quinn has brought an energetic attitude to a young New York Rangers team. They are in the middle of a rebuild and the Rangers hope one day they will be serious Stanley Cup contenders again. New York is going through growing pains this season despite their 13-10-2 record with 28 points. They currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division.

The New York Rangers have scored 75 goals so far this season and they have given up 76 goals. New York started the season with a 4-7-1 record. They have been a lot better lately and they look more structured and faster.

Their roster has an average age of 26.4. Filip Chytil is only 19 years old. He was a first-round pick last season and so was Lias Andersson. Chytil has scored five goals and has recorded four assists so far this season. His plus/minus rating is even. Andersson has scored one goal and one assist so far this season. He has only played in 11 games so far this season.

Chris Kreider leads the team in points with 21 (13 goals and 8 assists). His plus/minus rating is seven.

Mike Zibanejad has scored eight goals and recorded 13 assists. His plus/minus rating is -6. Neal Pionk and Brett Howden have each scored four goals so far this season. Pionk has 11 assists and Howden has nine assists. Pionk’s plus/minus rating is -4. Howden’s plus/minus rating is -1. Kevin Hayes has scored five goals and recorded 12 assists. His plus/minus rating is 6.

The youth movement has been pretty good under Dan Quinn, but they still don’t have that player that can take over a game.

At some point, they will hit a wall because of how young they are, and they are not ready to contend yet. I predicted before the season that this team would finish in seventh in the Metropolitan Division. They don’t have enough to contend with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Pittsburgh Penguins, or the Washington Capitals. The Carolina Hurricanes, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the New Jersey Devils all have a better roster than the Rangers do. The only team that doesn’t is the New York Islanders and they will also fall at some point.

Speaking of falling, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist numbers have dipped over the past couple of years, but he has been better this season. His record is 9-7 with a .921 save percentage and a 2.60 GAA. Alexander Georgiev is the backup goaltender for the Rangers. His record is 4-3 with a .903 save percentage and a 3.12 GAA, along with one shutout.

Goaltender Igor Shestyorkin could be in the New York Rangers system very soon and it could help David Quinn’s cause since Lundqvist is 36 years old and he has only two years left on his contract.

Right winger Vitali Kravtsov, defenseman K’Andre Miller, and defenseman Nils Lundkvist were all drafted in the first-round in 2018 and they could make an impact sooner rather than later.

David Quinn has this team heading in the right direction. If they make it to the playoffs this season, the New York Rangers will have nothing to lose. In a couple of years from now, they will have Stanley Cup or bust expectations once again.

 

– Glenn Kaplan, WTF Sports Intern

 

Edited by Scott Edwards

Todd McLellan Relieved of Coaching Duties; He’s Edmonton’s Scapegoat

There has been already a couple of in season firings this season across the NHL. The Edmonton Oilers decided to fire Head Coach Todd McLellan on Tuesday. Ken Hitchcock will take over as the head coach for Edmonton.

Hitchcock is coming out of retirement at the age of 66 years old. McLellan was in his fourth season as the Oilers coach. His record with them was 123-119-24. He led them to the postseason in the 2015-2016 season. They were the number two seed in the Pacific Division that season. Edmonton lost in seven games in the second-round against the Anaheim Ducks.

After that season, General Manager Peter Chiarelli decided to get rid of some key role players like Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Eberle. It hurt Edmonton the next season and it has hurt them this season. Chiarelli is the one responsible for this mess right now and not McLellan. Mark Letestu was also traded at the trade deadline last season to the Columbus Blue Jackets and he was also a part of the Oilers success in 2015-2016.

Todd McLellan is being the scapegoat for Chiarelli’s problems. The Edmonton Oilers record so far this season is 9-10-1 with 19 points. They have scored 57 goals so far this season, but they have given up 66 goals. Edmonton is currently in sixth place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have lost their last six out of seven games.

Other than Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, they have a terrible roster and their no depth on it. Those three players have 28 goals scored. The rest of the roster has a combined 29 and that is very alarming.

Depth has been a major concern for this team and in order to win a Stanley Cup, teams must rollout three to four solid lines.

Peter Chiarelli has not drafted well at all and that is also why the Edmonton Oilers are a mess. Connor McDavid must carry this team night in and night out. When you pay someone 11 million a year, it is vital to draft well and get him the help he needs.

When Edmonton misses the postseason again this year, the franchise will need to look in the mirror and realize what the real problem was. Ken Hitchcock will not be able to get the most of his team.

Chiarelli has been with the Edmonton Oilers since 2015 and his seat must be warm right now. They should get rid of him at the end of the season. He messed up something good after the 2016-2017 season.

Peter Chiarelli panicked because Edmonton lost the series in the second-round and he felt like he needed to make massive changes. Instead, Chiarelli should have kept the same roster he did that season.

I have told many people that Todd McLellan being fired as the head coach in Edmonton is unfair. McLellan was given a terrible roster to work with and Chiarelli set him up to fail. He probably thought because Connor McDavid was around, he could carry this team night in and night out and it doesn’t work like that. If the Edmonton Oilers don’t make the necessary changes in the near future to help McDavid, they will be waste his prime years even though he is 21 years old.

 

– Glenn Kaplan, WTF Sports Contributor

 

Edited by Scott Edwards

The Sidney Crosby Injury Could Be a Wake-Up Call for the Pittsburgh Penguins

When Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan announced on Wednesday afternoon after practice that center Sidney Crosby was being evaluated for an upper-body injury, many Pittsburgh Penguins fans were already concerned. They were tweeting, hoping it was not another concussion for the 31-year-old.

He has had a history of head injuries throughout his career. Luckily Crosby was not diagnosed with one in his most recent incident. In 16 games played so far this season, he has scored eight goals and recorded 11 assists. His plus/minus rating so far this season is 7.

Sidney Crosby’s status for Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home is uncertain. If he misses any length of time for the Penguins, could this be a wakeup call for this team?

They already received a wakeup call when General Manager Jim Rutherford decided to trade Carl Hagelin to the Los Angeles Kings for Tanner Pearson. Both players were struggling and maybe a change of scenery will do wonders for them.

Pearson could actually help on the top lines. He could provide scoring depth even though he has yet to score a goal in 17 games with the Los Angeles Kings this season.

Speaking of yet to score, the third and fourth lines haven’t scored a goal in the past eight games. The last time one of those two lines scored a goal was on Thursday, Oct. 25 in a 9-1 road win against the Calgary Flames and the goal was scored by Matt Cullen.

Cullen, Bryan Rust, and Riley Sheahan are struggling to score goals so far this season. Daniel Sprong needs to be played more often. If Crosby is out for a lengthy period, Sprong could be used in a top-6 role.

The lines at Pittsburgh Penguins practice on Wednesday were: Bryan Rust-Mark Recchi (Penguins assistant coach filling in for Crosby)-Dominik Simon, Zack Aston-Reese-Evgeni- Malkin-Patric Hornqvist, Jake Guentzel-Riley Sheahan-Phil Kessel, and Garrett Wilson-Matt Cullen-Daniel Sprong.

The defensive pairings were: Jack Johnson and Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin and Chad Ruhwedel, Olli Maatta and Jamie Oleksiak, and Jusso Riikola and Sergei Gonchar (Penguins assistant coach).

The third line on paper sounds like it has a lot of potential. Guentzel and Kessel are players that could put the puck in the back of the net. Aston-Reese and Hornqvist on a line with Malkin sounds interesting, but if Crosby is out, Malkin will most likely be on the top line.

It would not be surprising to see Sullivan go 11 forwards for Thursday’s game if Crosby is out. They would only have three healthy centers on the roster. Derrick Brassard continues to be injured. If he was healthy, the Penguins wouldn’t even have to think about going seven defensemen for the game against Tampa Bay.

Tanner Pearson is expected to play on Thursday night. If they only dress 11 forwards, Daniel Sprong will most likely be the odd man out, but this would be a mistake if Crosby is out. Wilson should be the one that sits because he doesn’t generate the offense like Sprong does, but Garrett Wilson is better defensively.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have done a tremendous job of using the phrase next man up under head coach Mike Sullivan. They will need to put a win together as their record so far this season is 7-6-3 with 17 points. Pittsburgh sits in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division and they have scored 53 goals and allowed 51 goals so far this season.

Evgeni Malkin steps up whenever Sidney Crosby is out and hopefully all of the lines follow his lead. If Crosby does play against the Tampa Bay Lightning, everyone needs to step up anyways because the top two lines can’t do everything. When the Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups, depth scoring was one of the main reasons why. They can’t ask Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel to do everything night in and night out.

 Glenn Kaplan – Contributor

 

 

 

 

 

Bruins Recap 11/14: League Scoring Leaders trade blows in Denver

Avs top unit outpaces Bs top line as win fast paced thriller

 

The Bruins faced off against the Avalanche in Wednesday Night. Both teams have one of the top two best lines in the NHL. Boston has Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak who have combined for 68 points, while Colorado have Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen and their 69 points. From the opening puck drop til 14:10 of the first period there was no whistle, just back and forth, end to end from both teams. The Bruins had the best chance to score first when Pastrnak hit iron around 13:20. He was set up alone in front of Avs goalie Semyon Varlamov, and cleanly beat him but hit the crossbar. The Avs top line struck first when a miscommunication behind the net between defenseman Zdeno Chara and goalie Jaroslav Halak led to a Chara turnover that Rantanen fed to Landeskog who buried it past Halak. 1-0 Avalanche. The Bruins would hit the post 3 more times before a Power Play goal by Pastrnak would tie it at 1-1 @ 16:43. Boston forward Jake DeBrusk would catch an errant MacKinnon pass at the red line and race in alone and beat Varlamov with :37.9 left to go in the first. 2-1 Bruins after 1. 

 

The 2nd was just as frantic as the 1st. The Bruins Power Play was called on again @ 1:17 when Colin Wilson was called for Hooking. The red hot PP connected again on some tic tac toe passing when DeBrusk scored again on a tip of a Pastrnak shot from the point. 3-1 Bruins @ 3:05. The back and forth pace caught up to the Bs when Pastrnak was whistled for Hooking Mark Barbiero @ 7:52. This gave the Avs a chance to get moving. MacKinnon would fed Rantanen on a cross ice pass, Rantanen would walk in and snipe one past Halak from the right face off dot. 3-2 Bruins. Bergeron would be called for Hooking on Rantanen who would also be called for Embellishment on the play @ 19:11. The 2nd would close out with the teams in a 4 on 4. Shots were tied at 14 a piece for the two periods. 

 

The 3rd started with the carried over 4 on 4, which had a chance for each team, but to no avail. An Avalanche 2-1 with Matt Grzelcyk defending had Halak make the initial stop on a Matt Calvert wrist shot. A funny bounce and a heads up play by Calvert, who spun around and swiped the lose puck past Halak tied the game at 3-3 @ 2:11. Defenseman Ian Cole broke up the Bruins forecheck at his blueline, Rantanen picked it up and raced into the Bruins offensive zone with a 3 on 2. He slid the pass over to MacKinnon on his right who blasted the go ahead goal past Halak @ 9:02. 4-3 Avs for their 2nd lead of the night. Colorados PP did the trick again, with Krecji off for Holding Tyson Jost @ 13:40. Jost would backhand the puck through Halaks pads giving the Avs a 2 goal cushion @ 15:39. The Bruins would pull Halak with more than 3 minutes remaining. Good pressure by the Bruins with the extra skater but Colorado was up to it. Bergeron was called for Hooking @ 18:57 negating the man advantage from the empty net. Colorados Alexander Kerfoot would tip a Carl Soderberg shot past Halak making it 6-3 Avs with :15 remaining. 

 

Zdeno Chara left the game in the first period with a lower body injury, the Bs weren’t quite the same after that despite having the led early into the 2nd period. The leagues top line showed why tonight as Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Rantanen combined for 6 points. The Bruins seemed to run out of gas as the 3rd period went along, whether the infamous altitude of the Mile High City took the wind out of their sails or shaky defensive play combined with penalties did the Bs in. Overall the Avs outshot the Bs 25-23 and won the face-off battle 59% to 41%. Both teams had exceptional Power Plays with Boston going 2 for 3 and Colorado going 3 for 3. This one was as billed, with both squads getting production from their 2nd lines. The Avs just had a little more left in the tank on this one.

 

– Jason Scales, WTF Sports Contributor

 

 

Edited by Scott Edwards

The Case for splitting up the Bruins Top Line

The Case for splitting up the Bruins Top Line

 

It is obvious to everyone with a pair of eyes that the Bruins’ line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand is the best line in the NHL. It has been this way since last season, and before that they were at least in the upper tier regarding production. They all bring something different to the table. They all compliment each other well. So why do they need to be split up?

 

Depth scoring is incredibly valuable to a hockey team, let alone a hockey team that competes at the highest level of the game. Look at recent Stanley Cup champions and you will notice a trend: you need production from your top three lines.

 

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a great case study. They were so deep for their back-to-back cup runs that they were able to use Phil Kessel on the third line….let that sink in. Phil Kessel is an elite scorer. Since he joined the Penguins in 2015-16, he’s averaged 27 goals a year. He would be a first liner on any team, as he often is for the Penguins, but they recognized the need for depth scoring. Two cups in a row is a pretty good result.

 

The Bruins have none of this. Last season, when they won 50 games in overtime or regulation, advanced to the second round of the playoffs, and looked dominant for long stretches of time, they struggled at times with depth scoring. However, they had massive contributions from their second and third lines, even if it was not consistent. This season the top line either scores three goals and the team wins, or the team gets shut out.

 

This season the top line has scored 25 of the team’s 44 goals, good for 55%. It speaks to the lines’ acumen, but that means 45% of the scoring is divided between three additional lines. In other words, it is not enough.

 

Change is hard. Ignoring your eyes is even harder. The mere thought of breaking up a dominant scoring trio is maniacal, but there is a twist. There are 82 games in an NHL season, so what is the harm with experimenting for a week or so? If it pays off then Bruce Cassidy looks like a genius. All of a sudden you have scoring from different lines and can exploit matchups. Teams cannot simply roll out their best triplets of defensive forwards and dictate the game. If it doesn’t work, you take a couple losses and then group them back together. Oh how simple coaching can be.

 

Now it is easy for me to say this from behind a keyboard while a coach has a job to keep, but Cassidy is playing with house money. He brought Boston its best season since 2013-14 a year ahead of schedule. Prior to last season the Bruins were pegged as a team that can make some noise in the regular season and then get bounced in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Instead, they were one of three juggernaut teams in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. He is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

 

Switching up these lines to help even the scoring may be the key to boost the Bruins this season. If it doesn’t work, so be it. If it does, you may have just found the secret formula for continued success.

 

– Trevor Brumm, WTF Sports Contributor

 

Edited by Scott Edwards

This Week in the NHL

Welcome to The Hall

The Hockey Hall of Fame is welcoming six new legends into their hallowed group. Of the six being inducted, four of them are players: Martin Brodeur, Martin St. Louis, Alexander Yakushev, and Jayna Hefford. The other two, Commissioner Gary Bettman and Willie O’Ree will be inducted as builders. Willie O’Ree was the first black player in the NHL.


The Turtleneck Calls It Quits

Tomas Plekanec retired from the NHL Friday at the age of 36. He played 15 seasons in the NHL all of which were with the Montreal Canadiens. The veteran center hasn’t drawn into the Montreal lineup much at the beginning of this year. A back injury has been holding him out of the teams last nine games. Plekanec decision to retire was to make sure he would retire as a Montreal Canadien which was always his final goal.

See the source image


Penalty Kill-ing It

The Arizona Coyotes scored two more short-handed goals on Thursday night in Philly, 24 seconds apart on the same kill. The Coyotes led the NHL with nine short-handed goals while allowing just 4 PPG, 14 games into the season. This is the first time a team has been +5 on the penalty kill at any point in a season since 1977-78 (the 83-84 Rangers were able to reach +4).

FLYERS VS COYOTES

Three Stars of the Week

 

Eastern Conference

  1. Tampa Bay Lightning – 4 game winning streak, outscoring teams (17-8)
  2. Toronto Maple Leafs – 3 game win streak without Auston Matthews
  3. Max Domi MTL – 6 points in his last 3 games (2G/4A)

 

Western Conference

  1. Nashville Predators – 4 game winning streak
  2. St. Louis Blues/ Minnesota Wild – 2 in row
  3. Arizona Coyotes PK – 1/7, 2 SHG’s (+1)

 

Johnny Clements – Contributor – WTF Sports

Editor – Scott Neville

Boston’s Brightest – Top 5 Players Under 25 who could see their Number Retired Someday

With all these articles I have been writing, and not having to cover baseball too much, it leaves me at a point where I feel as though I just have to come up with something fun and interesting. Well this may be the easiest one I have ever thought of. Boston Sports are enriched with young talent who could all be superstars someday, making Boston have hope for the present and the future. So why not do a list? It is fun to think that Boston has five legitimate guys who are under the age of 25 who can be remembered forever in the city of Boston, becoming all-time greats and possibly getting their number retired someday. So, let us get started!

 

  1. Celtics G Jaylen Brown

Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics - Game Five

Jaylen Brown gets the 5th spot, not because of the skill and potential that he contains, but because he just more than likely will not be better than the men remaining. When I said enriched, I really meant it. Jaylen Brown was the 3rd Overall pick by the Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft. Since then, Brown has become a crowd favorite with his explosive athleticism, ability to grow more and more every game, and all-around ability on the court. While at times he shows his age, the 21 year old Guard has developed into a player who many see as a future All-Star. His improved jump shot, ability to play defense, and explosiveness that allows him to get the Garden on their feet. While this Garden stud is just five, another Garden stud may have his jersey retired in Black and Gold someday.

 

  1. Bruins F David Pastrnak

David Pastrnak

After another incredible season, I am probably getting looked at like I have seven heads, however where Pasta ranks has nothing to do with his incredible scoring ability game in and game out, but it has to do with consistency. Pastrnak plays a position where he has to be consistent year after year if he wants to become one of the greatest Bruins to ever take the ice. This past season, Pasta took it to another level, putting up his best career point total with 80 in 82 games. He scored 35 goals while assisting on 45 others. Now people may yell at me for this rating, just because of how beloved Pasta truly is in Boston, and he may be the most proven one so far on this list at the young age of 22, but there are still three guys I think have more potential to see their number retired as Boston’s brightest. And the next one on the list also wears Black and Gold.

 

  1. Bruins D Charlie McAvoy

Tampa Bay Lightning v Boston Bruins

With an article to look forward to soon, I look to go much more in-depth on the player who I think is now the Bruins Franchise player. Charlie McAvoy stormed onto the scene for the 2016-17 playoffs when the Bruins were down to pretty much no one. He proved himself then when he showed maturity at such a young age. And the 20 year old defenseman not only grew as a player in his first full season but became the Bruins best defenseman in his first season. While an injury sidelined him for 19 games, McAvoy was nothing short of a stud all season long. In 63 games played, Charlie scored 7 goals while adding 25 assists for a solid 32 points, however his impressive defensive abilities were much more important than his point totals. He had a +/- of 20. In the playoffs, he became the defenseman who averaged around 25 min per game. Charlie has quickly become one of the players in Boston who you can only see success for in the future. And at the incredibly young age of 20, I give him the spot over Pastrnak because he is only going to get so much better, defensively and offensively. Not only does he have future Norris Trophies in his future, but he also has a Stanley Cup in his future. Yet, Boston is so enriched in young talent that he ranks just third. The next option returns to the other Garden team.

 

  1. Celtics F Jayson Tatum

usatsi_10648693_168384367_lowres

S-T-U-D. While I will admit I am not the biggest NBA fan (as of late especially), I really enjoyed the Celtics season and playoff run this past season. And the main force came in the way of Jayson Tatum. Tatum was incredible in his rookie season, showing signs of pure dominance and even more signs of being an absolute superstar in the future. And what showed all of this more was when Kyrie Irving went down, and the Celtics needed to play that playoff push. No one, including myself, believed that the Celtics could make a deep run. They lost Hayward and Irving, and I don’t know if I could truly see Tatum making such a big step so early in his young career. He became “The Guy” when the Celtics needed a bucket. Tatum became a guy that makes me want to believe that the entire NBA isn’t crooked and there is a possibility that someone not named the Warriors could possibly win the Finals. Tatum managing to average 18 points in the playoffs and being in his rookie season just makes me think that this guy is going to be the next Super-Celtic player. Paul Pierce had his number retired this past season, and now I am ready for Tatum to be an absolute superstar for the Celtics. However, he doesn’t get number one because the best under-25 player in Boston who can see his number retired is currently on the best team in Boston.

 

  1. Red Sox OF Andrew Benintendi

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Andrew Benintendi is awesome. He is just so good at baseball. At the young age of 24, Benny has one of the most beautiful swings in all of baseball and is already one of the best players in baseball. While he was screwed over of being in the All-Star game this season, Benny has all the potential to be an MVP in this league. When Mookie Betts was out earlier in the season, Benny stepped up big time after struggling earlier on. His statistics now sit at a fantastic .297 with 14 HR, 57 RBI, and 17 SB. I won’t bore you with all of the slugging and on-base percentages, but I will tell you that Benny is showing the ability to be a Triple Crown someday, and one of the best Sox if he stays with it. Now, all of these players on this list could be affected by not staying with the team and moving somewhere else, but I can’t say I remember a player in Red Sox history who was homegrown and caught the eye quicker than Andrew Benintendi has. If it was because of his look, his ability, or some type of combination, Benny Biceps is a player to stay. When the Red Sox eventually move on from JBJ, Benintendi will have his official position of CF locked up and become one of the best in Red Sox history. The ability he already contains, while being a Boston favorite, seems like the perfect combination to see his number in right field someday. Benny takes the cake on my Boston’s Brightest stars list, he will be a Red Sox 4 life and 16 could be immortalized someday as well.

Well there you have it. My opinion on the Boston’s Brightest young stars, who I think will be forever remembered here in Beantown, and exactly what makes me think this way.

 

I hope you all enjoyed and also consider sending in your own list of who you think has the potential to be the next Boston great when it is all said and done.

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– Scott Edwards, Creator of WTF Sports Nation