2. Auston Matthews
How is it that there are two players ahead of MacKinnon on this list? Well, neither of them had a four year stint where they were just okay before becoming one of the best players in the entire NHL.
Matthews was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016. He immediately made a statement by scoring 40 goals as a rookie. He has been above a point per game in each season since then, but really exploded this season.
The 24 year old led the league in goals this season with 60, and had 106 points in just 73 games. If he hadn’t already, he proved to be the best goal scorer in the league this season and has about a decade of filling nets in front of him still.
Matthews has incredibly scored 259 goals in his career already and he is yet to turn 25. You couldn’t ask for more from a first overall pick in his first six seasons in the NHL. Clearly, there is no one in this draft that is going to step into the NHL and score 250 goals in their first six seasons.
If you are hoping for the Habs first overall pick this year to knock Matthews off this perch in a few seasons, you have set the bar a little too high.