"Matthews left him in the rear view": NHL fans heat up Auston Matthews vs Patrik Laine debate after No. 2 draft pick's Atlantic Division return

The debate between stars Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine has been reignited after NHL posted a flashback video on X/Twitter.

In the video, Laine scores a goal for the Jets after Matthews had missed his chance.

Matthews was drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016, with Laine following immediately after as the No. 2 pick to the Winnipeg Jets. The two young phenoms were constantly compared early in their careers.

After Laine was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, he and Auston Matthews find themselves battling it out in the Atlantic division once again. That has sparked plenty of chatter among hockey fans on social media.

One fan said:

"Pfft… Matthews vs Laine doesn’t have the same allure it once had. Matthews left him in the rear view."

Another fan noted:

"The division is going to be WILD because of this."

Here are some more fan reactions:

"Oh yah, I bet Toronto wishes they had a Time Machine so they could go back and do the same thing every single time." one fan wrote on X.

"That's not the Laine of today. Hopefully he comes back to it because why not but lets not compare both players." another fan wrote.

"Laine is no where near the caliber player that Matthews is. Plain and simple." a user commented.

"Please stop, Laine doesn't need the extra stress... just playing in Mtl will be enough stress for him to manage..." another user wrote.

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Auston Matthews shares thoughts on becoming Maple Leafs captain

The Toronto Maple Leafs named star center Auston Matthews as their 26th captain last week. Matthews takes over the captaincy from John Tavares, who served in the role for the past five seasons.

"I got chills, honestly," Matthews said to NHL.com. "I'm so honored and humbled since being drafted here six years ago...

"To have the support from Johnny, my teammates, our staff, ownership, my family, it just means the world to me. I look forward to continuing our journey to obviously get to the top of the mountain and win the Stanley Cup and bring it back to Toronto."

After several disappointing first-round exits, the team will look to their new captain to lead them to postseason success as they chase their first Stanley Cup since 1967.