News Article: Auston Matthews - August 1st., Contract Crickets

[GoonieFace]

I’m not sure I would commit 8 years to Matthews to be honest. If his wrist injuries are chronic, that will not age well. Tough situation for sure, but he tries to take Jim to the woodshed, than just trade him

 

[Larcos_Unal]

It’s all “players should take a team friendly long term deal” until it comes to Toronto, then it’s “the player should do everything possible to maximize his career earnings.”

Mind you, I’m all for players getting paid, but it’s clear that when it comes to our top players the narrative is completely different and people would rather an outcome that would hurt the Leafs as a team.

It makes zero sense that Toronto is the only team where the players maximize their individual earnings to the detriment of the team and players around them.

You'd figure that a franchise as wealthy as this one would be able to offer them a guaranteed paycheck as brand ambassador for life after they retire (Wendel is a prime example), wouldn't they be willing to leave some on the table to make THE TEAM BETTER?

I strongly feel that Dubas set a bad precedent, and that thinking has to be curbed. They need to draw a line in the sand.

 

[WillNy29]

Was Pasta looking for shorter term from the Bruins?? No idea, never followed those negotiations. What I heard after he signed is that Bruins did not want to pay his ask but he did not back down. Bruins still got a good deal for a player that outperformed his last deal and was about to score 60+ goals and set to become a UFA in a few months. IMO Pasta could have easily gotten more than Panarin if he waited until July 1st.

you're missing the point here. There's chatter that the leafs are pushing for 8 years and all of a sudden travis yosts thong is twisted because he's sad Matthews is going to be a life long leaf. When Pasternak took his deal everyone was giving the bruins and him flowers for getting the 8 years I never once saw a single tweet about him being a fool and not taking short to take advantage of the big jump in cap coming up. But we have these mouth breathers being inconsistent and going the complete opposite way saying Matthews would be a fool to take the 8 years.

you get what I mean? its the premise that when Pasternak and Boston did it it wasn't an issue but when Matthews is being asked to take 8 the media is gaslighting him and us with these takes of he would be an idiot to do it which is bullshit

 

[notbias]

Or as a Leaf fan you could come to your senses and say. We want to win and understand that the cap matters. That we need players to at least get paid similar to peers elsewhere in the league to make that happen.

But no, we have fans that love the overpay for Leafs players. It's a unique market with some big name agents loving the dough around here. Worth shilling for most certainly.

Or you can ignore what I just said.

there is a point where overpaying by too much will affect us and I don't want that, but if we are going to overpay, I'd like it to be on Matthews and not on someone like Kadri, Huberdeau, or Weeger.

I am hoping Treliving has learned his lesson and will not overpay older UFAs.

 

[Buds17]

I'm thrilled if there's any reason at all to be optimistic about a max term deal happening here.

 

[mydnyte]

Ask yourself this:

Who is leaking all this?
What is the reason to leak this kind of speculation?


For the entirety of Shanahan's tenure here, Toronto has been tight lipped on all fronts.
Lou, Dubas have had major things happen out of the blue completely.

It doesn't seem like Shanny operates a leaky operation there, so...


It's not the agents making their clients look bad.

It doesn't appear to be the organization either, unless they have shifted their MO 180 degrees.


Where is this stuff coming from?

I believe it is all manufactured speculation.

I think it was Dubas that was tight lipped, as he supposedly freaked when that other trade proposal was leaked ...dont think Shanahan cares about leaks

 

[Mess]

I believe the Leafs will most likely just give Matthews and his agent whatever term they want. I don't see them fighting to push an 8 year deal if Matthews camp only wants 4 years.

Hypothetically speaking of course.

The organization didn't get their 8 years on the previous deal and gave Matthews well above market value AAV and $$ to buy 4 X RFA cost controllable years & only 1 UFA year.

This time round I suspect they will want a long-term commitment to even things out particularly the AAV which impacts team competitiveness.

These are good businessman and they understand short-term deal maximizes Player earnings potential, but hurts the team and its competitiveness.

5 years @ $11.634 + 3 years @ $14 mil AAV + 5 years @ $16.5 mil etc is a lot different than 8 years @12.7 mil AAV now.

 

[Mess]

That's pushing it but yeah, we are already bent over the barrel value wise so if it had to be done with that term, so be it.

Agreed as we should still be getting 3 more years @$11.634 mil with a better GM last time round.

So if we get the 8 years this time then there is some flexibility going above MacKinnon's new $12.6 mil league high mark and still keeping the player. Its the term that is the key..

If this is 3-4 years at $14 mil (as being rumoured) then Houston we have a problem here. IMO

 

[DarkKnight]

Okay back to entitlement and selfish losers….

 

[PromisedLand]

Okay back to entitlement and selfish losers….

I don’t have like powers but here is an emoji

 

[BallardEra]

The organization didn't get their 8 years on the previous deal and gave Matthews well above market value AAV and $$ to buy 4 X RFA cost controllable years & only 1 UFA year.

This time round I suspect they will want a long-term commitment to even things out particularly the AAV which impacts team competitiveness.

These are good businessman and they understand short-term deal maximizes Player earnings potential, but hurts the team and its competitiveness.

5 years @ $11.634 + 3 years @ $14 mil AAV + 5 years @ $16.5 mil etc is a lot different than 8 years @12.7 mil AAV now.

True but with if the Matthews camp wants nothing to do with anything more than 4 years?

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Provided the Leafs come in with a more than adequate offer, which I'm sure will, I'd be extremely disappointed in Matthews himself if he doesn't re-sign here for 8 years.

 

[Trapper]

Be interesting to know where Fans stand on this issue.

If the Leafs offered Matthews an 8 year deal @ $12.7 mil AAV (making him the highest paid player in the NHL) =$101,600,000 contract / 8 years.
&
Matthews returns with 3-4 years @ $14 mil per

Would you side with the Leafs organization or the player Matthews?
[Meaning would you like the Leafs to made a sound and fair business decision and live with it and trade Auston if necessary or Sign Matthews at any cost to keep him?

Team Toronto or Team Auston in these contract talks!!!

Good luck on your new team.
Would you pay Marner the same?

 

[therealkoho]

Marner should be making 9-9.5M based on essentially every other comparable winger in the game

Marner is the best RW in the league, he also plays the most roles and is elite at all of them.

Wishoping doesn't change the reality that Dubas fumbled the negotiations with Marners camp and ended up having to give him UFA type numbers mostly because of what he gave Matthews.

Dubas could of had MM for an AAV of 9 for 8 years, he told MM that they would have to wait to see how the budget would work out and that they wouldn't be doing any contracts until the summer. Dubas then practically grabbed his ankles for Matthews in Feb which was about 2 months after what he told Marner. You peeps wonder why the Marner negotiations were contentious, it ain't hard to figure out. Looking back I would bet it was Dubas feeding Dreger all that horsepuckey that was making MM look like a villain. The irony is that Mitch is the only guy there that truly wants to play with the Leafs and only the Leafs. He's a lot like Wendel in that respect.

 

[myleafs]

Thanks for the response.

While I'm glad to see Dubas is gone, I think the transition between GM's was hurried and sloppy.

Matthews probably thinks it was unprofessional too.

Rather than leave Dubas hanging as a lame duck all year and bring someone in to finish the negotiations last minute, they should have made their decision to move on last summer, so the negotiations wouldn't be overshadowed by the change in GM's.

Dubas' replacement (I was pulling for Joyce) should have had the opportunity to see for himself what he could do over the course of a year instead of having Treliving walk into a situation that, for all intents and purposes, is beyond his control.

How Matthews can be thinking to himself "This organization has it all together, I'm going to win a cup here" is beyond me.

Looking at where Dubas landed in Pittsburgh, with all those cups, and you gotta wonder if there is a way his old buddy can squeeze him onto the roster there. I have visions of them putting Malkin on LTIR until the playoffs one year. Letang the next. If that thought hasn't occured to them, it should.

It's a proven strategy to win the cup.

Maybe Matthews should worry about his own play and get himself together and figure out what it takes to win the cup. I dont remember him carrying this team on his back at any point of his career so far and if he takes max money he wont have a team around him to make it any easier. You really wanted Dubas to deal with the contracts coming up? Yikes....what could go wrong. How about we give the new guy a chance before declaring the world is ending.

Be interesting to know where Fans stand on this issue.

If the Leafs offered Matthews an 8 year deal @ $12.7 mil AAV (making him the highest paid player in the NHL) =$101,600,000 contract / 8 years.
&
Matthews returns with 3-4 years @ $14 mil per

Would you side with the Leafs organization or the player Matthews?
[Meaning would you like the Leafs to made a sound and fair business decision and live with it and trade Auston if necessary or Sign Matthews at any cost to keep him?

Team Toronto or Team Auston in these contract talks!!!

Always team Leafs...always

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Maybe Matthews should worry about his own play and get himself together and figure out what it takes to win the cup. I dont remember him carrying this team on his back at any point of his career so far and if he takes max money he wont have a team around him to make it any easier. You really wanted Dubas to deal with the contracts coming up? Yikes....what could go wrong. How about we give the new guy a chance before declaring the world is ending.


Always team Leafs...always

I didn't want Dubas to deal with the contracts.

I wanted him fired last summer and replaced by Joyce.

That would have given Joyce a year to make things right.

Instead they fired Joyce, and just a few months later, Dubas too.

Replaced by an external hiring in Treliving after a hurried rush hire that, at ownerships suggestion, started and ended with Treliving.

Now they look set to enter the season with Keefe as lame duck coach.

And maybe next year after that with Shanahan as a lame duck POHO.

If they all don't get fired first.

 

[thewave]

Marner is the best RW in the league, he also plays the most roles and is elite at all of them.

Wishoping doesn't change the reality that Dubas fumbled the negotiations with Marners camp and ended up having to give him UFA type numbers mostly because of what he gave Matthews.

Dubas could of had MM for an AAV of 9 for 8 years, he told MM that they would have to wait to see how the budget would work out and that they wouldn't be doing any contracts until the summer. Dubas then practically grabbed his ankles for Matthews in Feb which was about 2 months after what he told Marner. You peeps wonder why the Marner negotiations were contentious, it ain't hard to figure out. Looking back I would bet it was Dubas feeding Dreger all that horsepuckey that was making MM look like a villain. The irony is that Mitch is the only guy there that truly wants to play with the Leafs and only the Leafs. He's a lot like Wendel in that respect.

Except playoff game where he becomes about a 7m player and can't handle a physical series. Marner is good up until that and it never changes or gets better.

 

[BallardEra]

Ovechkin scored 367 goals in 599 games from his age 27 season to age 34 seasons. First season shortened by lock out and the last season shortened by Covid.

That's a 50.2 goal pace over 82 games and the same age 27-34 seasons that Matthews would embark on if he signed for 8 years.

If he comes anywhere close to that then it's a great deal all around for the Leafs.

 

[therealkoho]

That's the million dollar question. And the answer probably costs us 14 million dollars x 4 years. My gut tells me that Matthews does not have it in his DNA to put the club on his back and lead us to the Cup, no.

But since the team is built on a wonky foundation, it's impossible to tell. The thing is, I'm torn on both Matthews the player and Matthews the person. His career PPG and GP82 in the playoffs is pitiful compared to his regular season production and contract, so his ability to elevate to the occasion as a player must be in question. That is a fact.

And his me-first attitude when it comes to his contract demands speaks to his character and priorities, if I'm being honest. How are you supposed to be the leader of a franchise when you leverage the organization for personal gain without prioritizing team success even a little? That tells me Matthews is more concerned with being "the highest paid" than "fairly paid" while placing his team in a no-win situation.

So, do I think that type of person can lead us to a Cup? Honestly, no chance. His cap hit will make it virtually impossible, even if he scores 65 goals a year in the regular season.

Just in case anybody missed this, we'll said!


Great goal scorer and decent 200 foot guy, full stop.

It was early in the season and I don't know if you remember him yelling at somebody on the bench when coming off after a shift(rink mics caught it), people say that it was Holl who was the object of his wrath. It doesn't really matter who it was, but that for me was the final straw. It really showed me why he'll never and should never wear a C, and why he's not even worthy of the Leaf. A leader is supposed to lead and inspire his men not make them angry at him.

 

[myleafs]

I didn't want Dubas to deal with the contracts.

I wanted him fired last summer and replaced by Joyce.

That would have given Joyce a year to make things right.

Instead they fired Joyce, and just a few months later, Dubas too.

Replaced by Treliving after a hurried rush hire that, ownerships suggestion, started and ended with Treliving.

Now they look set to enter the season with Keefe as lame duck coach.

And maybe next year with Shanahan as a lame duck POHO.

If they all don't get fired first.

Im frustrated with this team too but man you have a lot of bitterness/disgust/hatred after the fact judgement towards something none of us can control. Its always easier after the fact to know what should have or could been done but in real time its a little more difficult. Anyone can pick apart anyone/decision after the fact. Whatever decisions that were or werent made or will be made will happen whether we agree or not so for me personally I have my opinions but I also realize that whatever happens happens. Its all pretty interesting if nothing else.

 

[thewave]

I didn't want Dubas to deal with the contracts.

I wanted him fired last summer and replaced by Joyce.

That would have given Joyce a year to make things right.

Instead they fired Joyce, and just a few months later, Dubas too.

Replaced by an external hiring in Treliving after a hurried rush hire that, at ownerships suggestion, started and ended with Treliving.

Now they look set to enter the season with Keefe as lame duck coach.

And maybe next year after that with Shanahan as a lame duck POHO.

If they all don't get fired first.

Why was Joyce fired so suddenly?

 

[Sypher04]

Okay back to entitlement and selfish losers….

I mean, it’s true but not sure how applicable it is here. Is Bratt worth a single penny more than he signed for? Very good player sure, but I don’t really think so.

 

[therealkoho]

Except playoff game where he becomes about a 7m player and can't handle a physical series. Marner is good up until that and it never changes or gets better.

With the right guys around him, he's a much different player.

Did you watch his memorial cup run with the Knights. He led his team, I mean truly led them, he scored something like 3 points a game throughout the playoffs. He was surrounded with the right players, players that didn't give up on pucks, took hits to make plays

When Matthews slumps they always put Mitch on his wing to get him going again, it always works and that's fine in the regular season.

In the playoffs though when Matthews does the disappearing act because of the tough going, sure Mitchs' points are going to disappear too.

I didn't see any of that 200 foot Matthews against Florida. What are you supposed to do when the main cog on your line isn't functioning, isn't participating. What happens is you end up being outmanned two or three to one in the Ozone. There aren't many guys that have ever played in the NHL that can beat those odds.

 

[ToneDog]

I mean, it’s true but not sure how applicable it is here. Is Bratt worth a single penny more than he signed for? Very good player sure, but I don’t really think so.

Why would Fitz says it if Bratt took every penny he was worth ? Did Dubas say it after any of the 3 amigos sgned? No Shanny begged before and one by one they flipped him the bird.

 

[Sypher04]

Just in case anybody missed this, we'll said!


Great goal scorer and decent 200 foot guy, full stop.

It was early in the season and I don't know if you remember him yelling at somebody on the bench when coming off after a shift(rink mics caught it), people say that it was Holl who was the object of his wrath. It doesn't really matter who it was, but that for me was the final straw. It really showed me why he'll never and should never wear a C, and why he's not even worthy of the Leaf. A leader is supposed to lead and inspire his men not make them angry at him.

You realize that even a ton of nhl captains have been caught doing on camera at some point or another, right?

Why would Fitz says it if Bratt took every penny he was worth ?

It’s great PR. That’s about it. You saying you honestly think Bratt is worth much, if any, more than already nearly $8M? Like I said, really good player, but I’m not seeing a strong case.