NHL What If: Sidney Crosby and Auston Matthews played for the same team?

Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. Matthews netted his league-leading 65th goal during the contest while setting up the overtime winner. Meanwhile, Crosby picked up a single assist.

Although these two superstars are rivals in the NHL and international competitions, they are their respective teams' leading scorers and have combined for 105 goals, 83 assists, and 188 points.

Considering that Matthews has surpassed 100 points and is only one of nine players to achieve the feat thus far, he'd be the leading scorer on 27 of the 32 teams in the NHL. Crosby, who has 86 points, ranks 17th overall in scoring and would be the third-highest scorer in Toronto, behind Matthews and William Nylander.

Imagine a scenario where Matthews and Crosby skated together

Matthews is finishing up his 8th season in the NHL, and after 76 games in 2023-24, he has 364 career goals. His career goals-per-game pace is .0653, and he is well on his way to surpass 500 goals before he skates in 800 games.

Since his debut in 2016-17, one of his favorite linemates to play with is Mitch Marner, who has 439 assists in 571 games. According to Stathead.com, Marner has set up Matthews on 131 goals, representing 35% of the center's career goals.

Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Even though their chemistry is undeniable, Marner has never scored 100 points or won any awards, let alone skate in the Stanley Cup Final, while playing with the third-highest salary on the Maple Leafs at $10.9 million annually.

There will never be a conversation comparing Marner to Crosby, who has amassed one of the most extraordinary careers of all time. Realistically, the Hockey Hall of Fame would be wise to skip the mandatory three-year waiting period and induct him the day he retires.

However, these players are similar in that they are pass-first and shoot-second guys. After 1,268 games, Crosby is about to become only the 14th player in NHL history to collect 1,000 assists.

Like Matthews, Evgeni Malkin is one of his generation's best players, with 496 goals in 1,141 games. He's benefitted from his teammates' abilities, with 138 goals from the Penguins captain, accounting for 27.8% of his career goals.

Although Pittsburgh has surrounded him with hundreds of teammates for the past 19 seasons, Malkin has been the one constant in the offense, helping the 36-year-old win three Stanley Cup titles.

As mentioned, there's no reality where we can compare the careers of the four best players in the salary cap era. Just like we can't go back in time to compare Wayne Gretzky to Connor McDavid, we can only look at the statistics and imagine, what if?

Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final

Interestingly, the pair share a connection through general manager Kyle Dubas, who once signed Matthews to a five-year extension and is now running the Penguins, hoping to bring a championship back to Steel City.

So, through mutual connections, can anyone imagine if Matthews skated with Crosby? Yes, they are both natural centermen, but that has never stopped any head coach in Edmonton from pairing McDavid with Leon Draisaitl, who are both centers.

Whether it's on the man advantage or in the dying minutes of a game, a head coach would let Matthews and Crosby go over the boards together, giving them a chance to create magic that would be unseen in today's game.

Considering the Penguins' captain makes a modest $8.7 million yearly, his salary would allow for whatever team they are on together to acquire other elite talent and build a Stanley Cup contender.

Even though this scenario is crazy and off the wall, this duo ($20.3 million) would cost less than McDavid and Draisaitl ($21.0 million) and Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen ($21.8 million).

Overall, Crosby has one aspect of his game that is superior to everyone else: invaluable leadership qualities and a winning pedigree you can never put a price on. That companionship would take Matthews to the next level and turn him into a champion.