ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

Taylor Hall never really had a chance.

The Edmonton Oilers winger might have won Round One of the Taylor versus Tyler debate by going No. 1 overall in 2010, but in doing so he joined a rebuilding team that has finished in the bottom three of the standings in five of the last six years.

Seguin, meanwhile, won a Stanley Cup championship as a rookie with the Boston Bruins and reached the final two years later. Although he was traded to the Dallas Stars, he has played on a line with Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn and made the playoffs in every year but one.

Who’s the better player? Well, that’s still debatable. But thanks to the team around him, Seguin is definitely having a better career so far.

That is how a lot of the draft-day debates eventually go. Hockey is a team game. It does not matter how many goals a player scores or how many individual awards are won. If you do not have a supporting cast, you will not succeed.

It is why Sidney Crosby has always had the upper hand on Alex Ovechkin and why Erik Karlsson’s two Norris Trophy awards fall short of Drew Doughty’s two Stanley Cup rings when it comes to deciding who is the better defenceman.

Which brings us to Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine.

It is still very early in what could be a lifetime of comparisons between the top two prospects heading into this summer’s NHL Entry Draft, but we are already seeing the role that team plays when debating who is the better player at the world hockey championship.

Right now, it’s no contest.

While Matthews’ U.S. linemates in Monday’s game against Finland were a pair of part-time NHLers — Jordan Schroeder and Frank Vatrano — who had combined for 38 points in 146 games, Laine had the luxury of playing alongside Aleksander Barkov and Jussi Jokinen.

Matthews might have played the better game, stripping Laine of the puck to set up a goal, but he could not do it alone. With not one player who is in contention to play for the U.S. team at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, the Americans lost 3-2 to Finland.

“They’re tough,” Matthews said of Finland’s top line. “Barkov’s an unbelievable player. He’s extremely strong, unbelievable on face-offs and has great hands. He’s definitely a tough player. That whole line with Jokinen and Laine are a good line.”

Which brings us to the draft. Chances are that the Toronto Maple Leafs will select Matthews with the No. 1 overall pick and that Laine will go second to the Winnipeg Jets. After that, it will be up to general managers Lou Lamoriello and Kevin Cheveldayoff to determine which player has the better season — and possibly career.

Right away, Matthews should be at a disadvantage. While he will have the benefit of having Mike Babcock as a head coach, he will be joining a last place team that did not have a single player with more than 20 goals this season and where the leading scorer (Nazem Kadri) managed just 45 points. There is an emerging crop of talented young players coming up, including William Nylander (eighth overall in 2014), Mitch Marner (fourth, 2015) and possibly college free agent Jimmy Vesey.

But the team that Matthews’ could be joining will not be unlike the one that Hall joined back in 2010.

The Jets also missed the playoffs this season, but they actually tied for 24th in points and are picking second only because of the draft lottery. A year ago, Winnipeg was in the playoffs and if the team had better goaltending — and were playing in a different division — it could have been back again.

When it comes to rebuilding, Winnipeg might be a step or two ahead of Toronto. Then again, that could change in a hurry.

Still, Laine would be joining an offence where Blake Wheeler had 78 points, Mark Scheifele had 29 goals and 61 points, and where 19-year-old Nikolaj Ehlers, who had 15 goals, already has a full year of playing in the NHL under his belt. And with a deep prospect pool that includes goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, forward Marko Dano and defenceman Josh Morrisey, it is not surprising that The Hockey News predicted the Jets would win the Stanley Cup in 2019.

Of course, things can change in a hurry. And certainly the additions of Matthews and Laine will have an impact on the teams going forward. But as we have seen with Hall and Seguin, picking the right player on the day of the draft is important. But the more important part is surrounding them with the right players.

LOOKING AT LEAFS, JETS YOUNG CORE

Do you like Morgan Rielly or Jacob Trouba? William Nylander or Nikolaj Ehlers? Mitch Marner or Kyle Connor? A prospect pool that includes Kaspari Kapanen, Garrett Sparks and Travis Dermott or Marko Dano, Connor Hellebuyck and Josh Morrisey?

Here is a look at the core group of players who are aged 22 and under that Matthews and Laine could be joining:

WINNIPEG JETS

Mark Scheifele

It took some time, but the seventh-overall pick in 2011 finally emerged as a No. 1 centre with a team-leading 29 goals and 61 points this season.

Jacob Trouba

The defenceman’s totals have decreased every year since he scored 10 goals and 29 points as a rookie, but his plus-10 rating this season was the best of his career.

Nikolaj Ehlers

It was a tale of two seasons for the rookie winger, who had 22 points in his first 49 games, but scored 16 points and averaged five more minutes in the final 23 games.

Kyle Connor

The Michigan University forward, who is playing at the world hockey championship, was a Hobey Baker finalist this season after scoring 71 points in 38 games.

Connor Hellebuyck

Already named to the North American roster for the World Cup, the 22-year-old goalie went 13-11-0 with a .918 save percentage for the Jets this season.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Morgan Rielly

Once Dion Phaneuf was traded, Rielly’s game really took off. He led Leafs defencemen with nine goals and 36 points and logged the most minutes.

William Nylander

If not for a concussion and a late-season call-up, Nylander probably would have led the AHL in scoring. He had six goals and 13 points in 22 games with the Leafs.

Mitch Marner

The fourth-overall pick toyed with the opposition in the OHL, where he scored 116 points in 57 games this year and was named the league’s most outstanding player.

Kasperi Kapanen

The Finnish forward only had 25 points in 44 games with the Marlies, but he made up for it at the world junior championship where he scored the overtime winner to win gold.

Nikita Soshnikov

The undrafted Russian free agent spent this season in the minors but provided a glimpse of things to come with two goals and five points in an 11-game call-up.

mtraikos@postmedia.com

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