"It's like the perfect storm for two players like that to enter this League the way it is right now," said MacLean, now an NHL Network analyst. "I think for them even more so because they are each coming from a men's league so they're comfortable with this."
Laine, 18, had 17 goals and 33 points in 46 games last season with Tappara in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland. Matthews, 19, had 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games with Zurich of National League A, the top league in Switzerland.
"It seems to me Laine was pushing it a little more in Finland playing in that league," MacLean said. "Matthews having that late birthdate [he was born three days after the Sept. 14, 1997 cutoff for the 2015 draft] worked to his advantage, and playing in the Swiss league really helped him a lot.
"You can see the maturity level on the ice and I think they're both in great situations and used differently in the situations they play."
Laine and Matthews are on pace to surpass their respective European league point totals last season. Laine leads NHL rookies with 19 goals and 30 points in 36 games, and his 19.8 shooting percentage is second among rookies to play at least 15 games.
Matthews is second to Laine among rookies with 16 goals and 26 points in 33 games. He is first among rookies and sixth in the League in shots on goal with 121. He's on pace for 300 shots on goal. Since the 1987-88 season, two rookies have reached that mark: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals with 425 in 2005-06 and Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets with 387 in 1992-93.
MacLean compared the two rookies in four categories: skating, shooting, leadership and handling pressure.