<p>Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid are making waves with their new McDonald&#8217;s commercial, which pits the Toronto Maple Leafs&#8217; captain against the Edmonton Oilers&#8217; superstar in a skills competition for the ages.</p>
<p>In the new advertisement titled <em>The Showdown,</em> McDavid and Matthews square off in a shooting competition, with the loser having to watch the other eat a Big Mac without protest. McDavid and Matthews traded a series of barbs on social media, <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/connor-mcdavid-auston-matthews-new-mcdonalds-commercial-oilers-leafs">before the ad was revealed Tuesday</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/3181779/mcdavid-matthews-on-showdown-commercial-underrated-nhlers-more">John Matisz of theScore</a> emailed Matthews and McDavid to speak about the campaign, before speaking about more general topics surrounding the NHL. Matisz asked McDavid and Matthews who the NHL&#8217;s most underrated player is, and Matthews&#8217; answer was revealing:</p>
<p>&#8220;There is just so much great talent in the league. Travis Konecny is a really effective player on both sides of the puck and competes hard,&#8221; Matthews wrote.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a timely answer, given that the Maple Leafs face Konecny&#8217;s Philadelphia Flyers on the back end of a home-and-home series Tuesday, but it&#8217;s a good choice. Konecny was named to Canada&#8217;s 4 Nations Face-Off roster but typically goes under the radar in national discussions, while leading the Flyers with 18 goals and 43 points in 40 games this season.</p>
<p>McDavid&#8217;s answer was particularly illuminating as well.</p>
<p>&#8220;Tough to say with how many great players there are in the league, but players are always the best judges of talent from my perspective. For me, I would say it&#8217;s Martin Necas. He&#8217;s so fast, so skilled, and tough to defend.&#8221;</p>
<p>Necas leads the Carolina Hurricanes with 15 goals and 47 points and is an analytics darling, firmly entering the middle of his prime. If Carolina goes on another extended playoff run, perhaps the underrated tag won&#8217;t be as fitting.</p>
<p><em>The Showdown </em>draws on the ad of the same name from 1993, where Larry Bird and Michael Jordan faced off in a skills competition for McDonald&#8217;s, while Mats Sundin and Wayne Gretzky battled against each other in 1997.</p>
<p>We&#8217;re not going to spoil the either interview, but it&#8217;s a fascinating insight into the minds of two of the NHL&#8217;s greatest players, as Matthews and McDavid are both looking to win the first Stanley Cup of their careers, after winning virtually every individual award there is to conquer.</p>
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Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid are making waves with their new McDonald's commercial, which pits the Toronto Maple Leafs' captain against the Edmonton Oilers' superstar in a skills competition for the ages.

In the new advertisement titled <em>The Showdown,</em> McDavid and Matthews square off in a shooting competition, with the loser having to watch the other eat a Big Mac without protest. McDavid and Matthews traded a series of barbs on social media, <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/connor-mcdavid-auston-matthews-new-mcdonalds-commercial-oilers-leafs">before the ad was revealed Tuesday</a>.

<a href="https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/3181779/mcdavid-matthews-on-showdown-commercial-underrated-nhlers-more">John Matisz of theScore</a> emailed Matthews and McDavid to speak about the campaign, before speaking about more general topics surrounding the NHL. Matisz asked McDavid and Matthews who the NHL's most underrated player is, and Matthews' answer was revealing:

"There is just so much great talent in the league. Travis Konecny is a really effective player on both sides of the puck and competes hard," Matthews wrote.

It's a timely answer, given that the Maple Leafs face Konecny's Philadelphia Flyers on the back end of a home-and-home series Tuesday, but it's a good choice. Konecny was named to Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off roster but typically goes under the radar in national discussions, while leading the Flyers with 18 goals and 43 points in 40 games this season.

McDavid's answer was particularly illuminating as well.

"Tough to say with how many great players there are in the league, but players are always the best judges of talent from my perspective. For me, I would say it's Martin Necas. He's so fast, so skilled, and tough to defend."

Necas leads the Carolina Hurricanes with 15 goals and 47 points and is an analytics darling, firmly entering the middle of his prime. If Carolina goes on another extended playoff run, perhaps the underrated tag won't be as fitting.

<em>The Showdown </em>draws on the ad of the same name from 1993, where Larry Bird and Michael Jordan faced off in a skills competition for McDonald's, while Mats Sundin and Wayne Gretzky battled against each other in 1997.

We're not going to spoil the either interview, but it's a fascinating insight into the minds of two of the NHL's greatest players, as Matthews and McDavid are both looking to win the first Stanley Cup of their careers, after winning virtually every individual award there is to conquer.
<div>
<h2><strong>Join us for the first-ever TLN Nation Vacation!</strong></h2>
</div>
<a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-115002" src="https://publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>
<div>

Alright, hockey fans, this isn’t just a trip—it’s the <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025">Nation Vacation</a>, and we’re heading to the Music City from March 20th to 23rd! Get ready to watch Toronto take on Nashville in their own barn, soak up the honky-tonk vibes, and make unforgettable memories with the Nation crew. Whether you’re all in for a flight package or prefer a non-flight option, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t wait—spots are limited, and this trip is going to be electric. Book your spot NOW at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationgear.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1734810980719000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_i7FzyATbvkLHQ3ApMxZH">nationgear.ca</a>. Let’s go, Toronto! Nashville is calling!

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