Auston Matthews was the focus of debate after analyst Mike Rupp made a strong claim about him in late August. During an NHL Network broadcast, Rupp said he would take a healthy Jack Hughes over Matthews."A healthy Jack Hughes, I would take him over Auston Matthews,” Rupp said, comparing the two centers.Now, weeks after that take, on Tuesday, TSN’s Overdrive panel pushed back on the statement. Analyst Jeff O’Neill asked Bryan Hayes about his earlier statement that Matthews is not getting enough respect. Hayes said:"All of a sudden, he's pretty far down on the list … Mike Rupp got him."O'Neill agreed and said he wanted to call Rupp right away."Rupp was like, Jack Hughes is way better than Auston," O'Neill said. "I wanted to call, I don't have his number, but I want to say, Rupp, let's get real here, come on."Hayes shared his perspective and named some other good players, like Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov and Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel."That is outrageous," Hayes said, "I'll grant you if you said, you know, Barkov, like, I could listen to that, Eichel, maybe, (but comparing Matthews to) Jack Hughes?"The panel pointed out Matthews’ scoring ability. O’Neill noted that Matthews once scored close to 70 goals in a season (scored 69 in the 2023-24 season)."I think his exact words were," O'Neill said. "A healthy Jack Hughes and a healthy Austin Matthews. I'm taking Jack Hughes all day long. Are you high, dude? That guy scored 70 goals."Hayes added that Matthews always pays attention to outside opinions. He said players hear criticism even if they claim otherwise."Listen, but take it as a shot," Hayes said.Auston Matthews has an upper edge over Jake Hughes statisticallyStatistically, Auston Matthews has an edge. Last season, he played 67 games, recording 33 goals and 78 points. Jake Hughes played 62 games, scoring 27 goals and 70 points. Matthews also recorded more shots and power-play goals.So, even an unhealthy Matthews (for the entire season) was playing decent. But Hughes, who is 24, still has time to develop.Matthews has an impressive resume since being drafted first in 2016. He has won three Rocket Richard Trophies as the league’s top scorer. He also won the Hart Trophy in 2022. On the other hand, Hughes, drafted first by the New Jersey Devils in 2019, is known for speed and playmaking, scoring 43 goals in the 2022-23 season. However, injuries have limited his consistency.