Auston Matthews Hit with Blatant & Downright Outrageous Disrespect from the NHL

Last season, Auston Matthews dealt with a lingering injury for the entire NHL season, which made it a lot more difficult for him to score goals.

Despite having 69 goals the season before, Matthews was only able to manage 33 goals in 67 games. He added another 45 assists for 78 points, proving that he can do it all.

Unfortunately, context doesn't matter, apparently. In numerous preseason rankings, Matthews found himself in much lower positions than he was last year.

Case in point, the NHL recently put out its annual list of the 100 best players in the league. Going into last season, the Maple Leafs' captain was ranked at number 3.

This makes a whole lot of sense when you consider the season he was coming off of. Unfortunately, this season, the NHL has Matthews ranked at 15.

Yes, that's right, folks. The NHL has decided that there are 14 players in the NHL who are better than Auston Matthews. One injury-riddled season, and boom, you drop 12 spots.

This ranking seems completely off base, and we're not the only ones who think so. Fans of all 32 teams began admonishing the NHL for its ranking, noting that Matthews is being disrespected here.

When the biggest Leafs haters start swooping in to defend Auston Matthews, you know that you have made a major mistake.

Overall, Matthews probably isn't paying attention to any of this. Instead, he is gearing up for what could be a phenomenal bounce-back season.

If Matthews can get back to the 50 or 60-goal mark, then there is no doubt that the captain will find himself back inside the NHL's Top 10.