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

[Gabriel426]

One, you are paying based off probability. And, two, I just mentioned paying Matthews, not Nylander and Marner. No one is signing based on whether we win a cup or not. Wish they were, because there is money to be made if we win a cup.

Think you misunderstood me big time.
Willie and MM will most likely sign more than 5 yrs thus when AM’s 5 yrs deal expire, the chances of Leafs letting him walk and retool/rebuild is small due to still having Willie, MM and most likely Reilly on the team. That’s way AM will most likely be resign in another 5 yrs with even higher AVV and look really bad right away.

 

[Leafblooded]

Matthews for Toffoli, Markstrom and Hanifin sounds realistic but absolutely disappointing return on what is a top 5-10 player in the league

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

"This is obviously where I hope to be. ... I've loved it here. The people have really embraced me, the team, the organization.
(Tavares April 9, 2018)

"My intention is to be here.... I enjoy playing here, what it means to me, the organization, my teammates and how much I just enjoy being here.
(Matthews May 15, 2023)

It's so hard to believe these guys professing their love for everyone they work with and the company that employs them. Probably because they shouldn't be believed. Fans have every reason to feel anxious about Matthews leaving to another organization.

The precedent for doing so is currently Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Shanahan literally just put the team into the hands of the players. Fans are practically crying with laughter at the teams unbelievably stupid President. Well, they're in tears anyway.

It must be nice to not hit expectations every year and still have a job.

I wish I could fail at my job every year and still have one. Let lone getting a big raise. Welcome to the world of professional sports.

Where everyone makes millions for just showing up.

What a wonderful job being a player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. No expectation to win. No accountability for losing.

Rewarded for failure.

Loyalty to these guys comes only in the form of a big fat paycheque.

 

[MCR74]

$13M x 5... So 5 more years of Matthews being a playoff no-show as opposed to 8?

 

[MCR74]

How about trading him? Isn’t that an option too

I'd love to see this happen just to shake up the team. Face it, Matthews at $13M won't be any more effective than at his current salary.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

Matthews for Toffoli, Markstrom and Hanifin sounds realistic but absolutely disappointing return on what is a top 5-10 player in the league

What the f*** dude

That's not realistic at all. Markstrom is a borderline cap dump, Hanifan is a rental. Tofolli is a good 2nd-3rd liner.

 

[Niagara Bill]

Literally none of what you wrote here has anything to do with what I said.

Yes teams need to be thoughtful, disciplined and structured about how they manage their players and cap. That doesn’t change one iota that players are paid for their individual accomplishments and contributions.

This is true for literally every player, on every team, in every sport.

Where we disagree is that teams that win, will not keep players who only want to be paid by comparison to others. Being paid $500,000 more than some guy in Columbus, when you play in Montreal is not what good execs allow. If you don't fit, move on. Calgary did not recognize Gadreau (sp) mercenary desire, Jackets paid him too much, both teams lost and JG is enjoying golf.
We have 3 mercenaries that Dubas allowed to run this team. By keeping all of them we lost again. Cute little Marner was allowed to convince him even with huge holes in his game. This is exactly why teams need a plan. With a real plan we could have 2 65/70 point guys rather than 1, 100 point Marner.
Yes, agents only want to slot players into a direct point comparison. Makes bargaining easy, allows them to not disappoint their rich clients...it is the same in every unionized environment if companies allow it.
To the players it is respect with their peers, to management they keep everyone happy happy. But with a well run team the respect is with their team mates not some guy they see at a golf course once a year, or in a strip club.

 

[The Iceman]

I have never been "that guy" but there is a massive entitlement for our players.

Nobody doubts Matthews will soon be the top paid player in the NHL but he was NOWHERE to be seen in the top 10 Hart votes.
You would think the Leafs would have some leverege with this but won't.

Would be nice to be able to sign Matthews at McDavid $$$ and he would be rich, and the team would have a little spare $$$ to throw around.
Having a good team around him should be a priority don't ya think??

 

[MCR74]

I have never been "that guy" but there is a massive entitlement for our players.

Nobody doubts Matthews will soon be the top paid player in the NHL but he was NOWHERE to be seen in the top 10 Hart votes.
You would think the Leafs would have some leverege with this but won't.

Would be nice to be able to sign Matthews at McDavid $$$ and he would be rich, and the team would have a little spare $$$ to throw around.
Having a good team around him should be a priority don't ya think??

Same can be said for the second round.

 

[cobber]

this fanbase is so broken...

 

[tuckerintensity]

These points are all debatable at best.

2. Lot of media speculation he wants short term, but no one with actual knowledge of his camps asks

3. Matthews was full value for his previous deal.

4. There’s no reason to think Matthews, more than any other player, needs to get every little contract detail his way.

In fairness, points one and five we're pretty laughable as well.

 

[tuckerintensity]

Nobody doubts Matthews will soon be the top paid player in the NHL but he was NOWHERE to be seen in the top 10 Hart votes.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

View attachment 721922

Dear goodness...he looks like a greasy porn star here.

 

[Hockey 4 Life]

At this point if you can't get Auston or Willy signed to fair long term deals you trade them both as well as Marner and you rebuild. Dubas and the core destroyed what could have been a perennial cup contender with a good shot at atleast winning 1 cup in the last 4 or 5 years.

 

[Legion34]

In the regular season? Yes.

In the playoffs? Not even close.

Unfortunately players get paid in the regular season. And regular season stats are much more predictive of contracts than playoffs.

 

[Boxscore]

Friedman is expecting a 4-5 year deal starting with a 13 in front of it per season.

Of course. Because it's clear that Matthews doesn't want to commit to the Leafs long-term so we can take the next steps towards building a contender. He's more content with being a hired mercenary who maneuvers every deal so he doesn't leave a dollar on the table. Nylander and Marner will shortly follow suit, and when we get rid of these guys and the team is even worse, Matthews will begin to whine about "not winning a Cup in my career."

Book it, this is all so predictable. This was/is Matthews chance to reset the culture and trajectory of the Toronto Maple Leafs and he's showing us all what he's all about. The crazy thing is how the fans will still worship him like he's Orr, Gretzky or Lemieux. As fans we have fallen.

 

[the Mighty Oak]

At this point if you can't get Auston or Willy signed to fair long term deals you trade them both as well as Marner and you rebuild. Dubas and the core destroyed what could have been a perennial cup contender with a good shot at atleast winning 1 cup in the last 4 or 5 years.

No more rebuild bud. I would be done as a leaf fan if they do The new gm will work this all out. And I'm sure Shanny learned a lot from his mistakes with Dubas.

 

[Hockey 4 Life]

No more rebuild bud. I would be done as a leaf fan if they do The new gm will work this all out. And I'm sure Shanny learned a lot from his mistakes with Dubas.

Thats the hope, but if they don't realistically you have to trade them both rebuild or not. This team is already losing fans and if they continue to fail they will lose a lot more. Suffering through failure due to a lack of talent is one thing, suffering failure because of poor signings and a lack of willingness to compete is another.

 

[BertCorbeau]

I don’t hate a 5 year term personally.. 8 years is a long time.

That being said when every other star is signing 8 year deals, I think it reflects on Shanahan and his poor ability to build a strong team culture.

 

[Mess]

I don’t hate a 5 year term personally.. 8 years is a long time.

That being said when every other star is signing 8 year deals, I think it reflects on Shanahan and his poor ability to build a strong team culture.

You know the saying there is no "I" in Team only in "ME", as in Me, Myself and I.

The shorter the contracts the more time the players come up to the money trough for renewal so that makes it all about maximizing earnings potential. That position is inversely proportional to putting winning and team success first and foremost.

Agree 100% this is on Shanahan for not establishing a strong team first culture, but rather a sense of player entitlement and get rich quick environment where in Toronto the Inmates run the Asylum.

 

[LeafGrief]

I don't give a damn about the term. Frankly, he's an injury risk with that wrist and five years takes him to 31. Extra years on a deal through a players 30's are more of a negative than a positive, so I think the eight years vs five years problem is more of a holdover from his RFA deal. We wanted 8 then, but didn't get it. Five now makes great sense.

The real problem is the dollar value. He doesn't deserve to be the highest paid player in the league and this team desperately needs to stop letting the inmates run the asylum. Will he walk as a UFA? Yeah, he might and I'd rather overpay than let him walk. But overpaying him again might just be what truly kills us. Team needs a cultural reset more than anything and so much of our team's culture comes from Matthews as the best player. Bleh, it's a shame we can't have the Ghost of Christmas Future show him what his career looks like if he chases the dollars until he's 35. He's not the leader this team needs, he's not the best player in the league, he was shockingly average last year, and doesn't produce when it counts. The potential to be the greatest Leaf of all time is right there, we can all see it, but he's gotta deliver if he wants to be paid like this. Highest paid player in the league needs to be the epitome of leadership and the best player in the division at an absolute minimum.

One Hart trophy is an incredible achievement and he earned that thing, but it must be balanced with the struggles of last year and the complete and utter failure that is the Leafs in the playoffs. 12m x 5y, or trade him tbh. The endorsements he gets here make up the rest.

 

[The Iceman]

I don’t hate a 5 year term personally.. 8 years is a long time.

That being said when every other star is signing 8 year deals, I think it reflects on Shanahan and his poor ability to build a strong team culture.

I agree 100%
Matthews is already signed for next season.
5 more gets him to 31 years old.

Make your evaluation at that point on if you still want to invest top $$$ in an aging centre that may or may not have delivered in the playoffs.

 

[Pinto]

I agree 100%
Matthews is already signed for next season.
5 more gets him to 31 years old.

Make your evaluation at that point on if you still want to invest top $$$ in an aging centre that may or may not have delivered in the playoffs.

Yep, 5 years instead of 8 stung last time. This time it might actually be preferable.

 

[MCR74]

I don't give a damn about the term. Frankly, he's an injury risk with that wrist and five years takes him to 31. Extra years on a deal through a players 30's are more of a negative than a positive, so I think the eight years vs five years problem is more of a holdover from his RFA deal. We wanted 8 then, but didn't get it. Five now makes great sense.

The real problem is the dollar value. He doesn't deserve to be the highest paid player in the league and this team desperately needs to stop letting the inmates run the asylum. Will he walk as a UFA? Yeah, he might and I'd rather overpay than let him walk. But overpaying him again might just be what truly kills us. Team needs a cultural reset more than anything and so much of our team's culture comes from Matthews as the best player. Bleh, it's a shame we can't have the Ghost of Christmas Future show him what his career looks like if he chases the dollars until he's 35. He's not the leader this team needs, he's not the best player in the league, he was shockingly average last year, and doesn't produce when it counts. The potential to be the greatest Leaf of all time is right there, we can all see it, but he's gotta deliver if he wants to be paid like this. Highest paid player in the league needs to be the epitome of leadership and the best player in the division at an absolute minimum.

One Hart trophy is an incredible achievement and he earned that thing, but it must be balanced with the struggles of last year and the complete and utter failure that is the Leafs in the playoffs. 12m x 5y, or trade him tbh. The endorsements he gets here make up the rest.

This is how I see it. The wrist injury has to be a big concern. The Leafs would be forking out a raise for what exactly? If Matthews doesn't return to form, 5 years is a gamble, but I'd prefer it to a long term deal. No improvement 5 years from now, and we'd have no reason to keep him IMO.

 

[mydnyte]

Top 2 Center in the league? That’s is Mack who is better and Drai who is also better.
Not saying AM is not great but he is not even a 100% top 5 in the league.
He is not good enough to be the highest paid player in the league.

this is laughable...
Drais and MacK dont know where their end of the rink is, and they cheat offense 100% of the time.
Drais gets tons of PP points, and is a liability 5 on 5
MacK is a better C than Drais, but, all MacK has on Matthews is a much deeper supporting cast on Defense, not that it helped them get out of the first round this year, and those 2 play in the weakest division vs the Leafs who play in the toughest.

If Matthews abandoned defense the way Drais does, he'd pot 70. ...but, he'd also be a minus player.
I'll take the hard working 2-way Matthews any day over Drais.
MacK's scoring is a notch below both, he's hit 40 goals twice in 10 seasons.