Stud. Superstar. Pretty soon, we'll run out of superlatives to describe this kid. What's a superlative? Crazy exaggerated praise and even that's not enough to paint the right picture. At 21 years old, Matthews is already a top-five NHLer who gets better with every game, and that will continue for years to come. His skill is off the charts and under Mike Babcock, his possession game has grown from very good to crazy great. Opponents just can't take the puck off him. Matthews is a dominant, point-per-game player who could approach 50 goals and 100 points in a couple years -- even with John Tavares wearing blue and white. Opponents won't be able to cover everyone, meaning every Leaf benefits. Matthews is now the face of the NHL, along with Connor McDavid. He should be the face of your fantasy squad, too.

Last season was a whirlwind for this teenage wunderkind. Matthews was drafted first overall in 2016, scored four goals in his NHL debut, notched 40 tallies overall and won the Calder Trophy in an absolute landslide (164 of 167 first-place votes). Matthews is a bonafide star as a teenager and even has playoff experience after upstart Toronto pushed the NHL's regular-season champs from Washington to six games. Matthews is already a top-12 fantasy forward for both single-year and keeper formats, and he's only going to get better. He brings it all -- size, speed, strength, talent, leadership and determination. He'll contend for the Maurice Richard Trophy this season for most goals scored (he finished in a tie for second in 2016-17) and his overall point total should approach 80 with speedy finisher Patrick Marleau on his flank. Draft early and enjoy the rewards.

Matthews is the franchise center that all 30 teams covet in today’s NHL – big, fast, smart and strong, with a work ethic that’s off the charts. He spent 2015-16 with the Zurich Lions in the Swiss League at just 18 years of age and was the best player in the league. He scored over a point-per-game and pretty much played keep-away from pros, some of whom previously played in the NHL and AHL. Matthews came out of the US National Team Development Program (NTDP) and broke the program scoring records of Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel along the way. Some scouts have compared him to Evgeni Malkin while others say Jonathan Toews. We lean to the latter – Matthews lives and breathes the 200-ft game and oozes leadership by example. He’ll do what it takes to help his team win, even if it means scoring 20 fewer points than he could. Draft him in keeper formats for a consistent 70 points, but know full well he could drive home 90 some day if the planets fully align. A Jack Eichel-like rookie campaign awaits in the role of third-line center. And don't be surprised if he takes the second-line job away from Tyler Bozak before season's end.