Auston Matthews may be mired in a scoring drought, but the young Toronto Maple Leafs pivot's overall body of work is still worth plenty of praise. Just ask Jonathan Toews.

Ahead of the Saturday-night tilt that will see the two pivots line up across from each other at center ice, Toews dished on what he's seen from the 2016 No.1 pick's rookie effort.

Count the Chicago Blackhawks captain a fan.

"You compare (Matthews) to guys like Malkin and even Kane, the way he handles the puck with his feet moving," Toews told TSN. "For a guy that size, it's not that easy."

High praise, to say the least, given the fact that Evgeni Malkin and Patrick Kane have combined for five Stanley Cups, two Hart trophies, and three scoring titles thus far, among a slew of other awards.

Matthews has a long way to go before he's truly in the same conversation as those two stars, but Toews believes the potential is clearly there.

"You knew he had the talent but sometimes it's a matter of time before it translates to the NHL, and he's wasted no time," Toews said.

"You wonder, if that’s how he comes out of the gate, what’s he going to be like in a couple years from now?"

Matthews has racked up 31 goals and 55 points through 69 games this season, both marks ranking second among all rookies behind 2016 No. 2 pick Patrik Laine.

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