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

[keonsbitterness]

Maybe so but we have zero leverage now.

If it gets that far, we can always try to trade his rights next June and maybe get back something worthwhile. But I expect he'll sign. For what, I have no idea.

 

[ORRFForever]

Matthews wants up to $16mm for a long term deal.

What an unlikeable team.

Even Matthews can't expect THAT number.

If it gets that far, we can always try to trade his rights next June and maybe get back something worthwhile. But I expect he'll sign. For what, I have no idea.

I'm sure he will sign, too. Why? Because the Leafs have made it clear they are willing to pay ANYTHING to keep him.

They should have traded Matthews months ago.

 

[ITM]

Stop worrying about what other teams are doing. They fall under different circumstances that don't apply to the Leafs.

1. What other market gives this much of a headache to its star players? You think superstars in Colorado, Florida, Boston or NY are receiving the same headaches that Matthews and co are?

Y'all NHL23 warriors think it's as simple as restarting the game when you mess up...You're dealing with a top 3-5 player...Sundin is closer to Tavares than he is to Matthews....You think Curry/Lebron/Jokic/Doncic/Giannis are getting lowballed by their teams? You think their teams complain that they demand max contracts? LMFAO

2. If you're going to get paid regardless of where you go, you have leverage...Toronto doesn't have the post-season success of Boston or Colorado to retain their stars. Pasta didn't sign a team friendly deal. Mackinnon stayed on a cup-winning team. Boston and Tampa's salary structure is predicated on a decade + of deep post-season runs...WTF has Toronto done to expect that same salary buy-in from their stars?

What exactly are the Leafs?

Presently a bit of zero sum proposition to win the Cup given the three contracts of repeated note.

Potentially an opportunity for team-first players to be celebrated in a way perhaps no other professional sport will ever offer again, precisely because the Leafs are the Leafs and IF this club ever wins the Cup again, ending the drought in Toronto can happen only ONCE.

How that isn't a lead selling point to buy in to taking less is beyond me. It's a gamble, but isn't it offset somewhat with endorsement deals playing in Toronto?

There's a perfectly acceptable rationale to worrying about other teams budgetary structure because those successful clubs highlight how cumbersome our top-down pay scale is...If we don't adhere to a structure that mirrors Cup winning teams, we're ignoring the most important trend line in the game.

Set aside a Kings' model or a Lightning model in terms of player(s) type. What model we need to glean with extreme focus is the percentage of cap allocation that stars on championship clubs take or more precisely, accept as reasonable if winning the Cup is in fact the primary goal rather than a consolation for being a very talented multi-millionaire, win, lose or draw.

 

[ORRFForever]

How that isn't a lead selling point to buy in to taking less is beyond me. It's a gamble, but isn't it offset somewhat with endorsement deals playing in Toronto?

I'm sure they've pitched the idea and I'm sure Matthews (and Marner) don't care.

From what I heard, Matthews' dad lost a promising career as a baseball player / pitcher when he was injured. If that's true, I'm sure his dad is in Auston's ear saying, "GET EVERY PENNY YOU CAN!".

 

[Mess]

Speculation on full term deal based on % of projected Cap.

The belief is also that Matthews might consider a seven or even eight-year deal, but only if the deal came with a cap hit that accounted for where the cap is going, not where it is today.

An eight-year deal, for instance, might come with a $16 million cap hit, given how high the cap is projected to rise.

But based on this latest report from The Athletic, it sounds as though the next deal for Matthews would make him the highest paid player in the history of the National Hockey League. According to author Jonas Siegal, Matthews could be looking for a deal that would be worth over $14 million a season.

Take a look at an excerpt from the piece:

"The salary cap might be the most important thing to remember about where this is going. The belief is that Matthews and his agent, Judd Moldaver, want his third NHL contract to account for a cap that should hit $87.5 million in the fall of 2024, when the new deal kicks in, and is expected to only go up from there, as much as five percent annually.

Which means a cap hit figure that will shrink over the life of the contract.

That is why it’s likely they will be looking at a contract ranging between two and five years long. The sweet spot, for both Matthews and the Leafs, may be a five-year deal with a record-setting cap hit, higher than MacKinnon’s $12.6 million annual average value.

A five-year deal would buy up the entirety of Matthews’ prime, his age-27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 seasons. It could also shatter the previous precedent for these types of contracts. The Leafs could be looking at a number as high as $14.5 million on the cap on a five-year deal."

Wowzers, that would be a massive extension

 

[ITM]

I'm sure they've pitched the idea and I'm sure Matthews (and Marner) don't care.

From what I heard, Matthews' dad lost a promising career as a baseball player / pitcher when he was injured. If that's true, I'm sure his dad is in Auston's ear saying, "GET EVERY PENNY YOU CAN!".

That's what I'm saying re: "buy in". That it's perplexing that players don't see this for any number of ethical reasons let alone practical implications, long-term.

 

[ITM]

Can't help but wonder aloud again that if we as a fanbase harbor resentment for obvious and often repeated reasons, how can this team weather the resentment of team-first clubs coming into our barn?

What's insidious is the chain of leverage in contracts at the obvious expense of the club's competitive leverage on the ice.

Disgusting. And its that type of selfishness that's never going to translate to selflessness when it matters.

 

[Sypher04]

But based on this latest report from The Athletic, it sounds as though the next deal for Matthews would make him the highest paid player in the history of the National Hockey League. According to author Jonas Siegal, Matthews could be looking for a deal that would be worth over $14 million a season.

Take a look at an excerpt from the piece:

"The salary cap might be the most important thing to remember about where this is going. The belief is that Matthews and his agent, Judd Moldaver, want his third NHL contract to account for a cap that should hit $87.5 million in the fall of 2024, when the new deal kicks in, and is expected to only go up from there, as much as five percent annually.

Which means a cap hit figure that will shrink over the life of the contract.

That is why it’s likely they will be looking at a contract ranging between two and five years long. The sweet spot, for both Matthews and the Leafs, may be a five-year deal with a record-setting cap hit, higher than MacKinnon’s $12.6 million annual average value.

A five-year deal would buy up the entirety of Matthews’ prime, his age-27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 seasons. It could also shatter the previous precedent for these types of contracts. The Leafs could be looking at a number as high as $14.5 million on the cap on a five-year deal."

Wowzers, that would be a massive extension

Jonas Siegel doesn't have a clue what he's talking about.

 

[Leaf Fans]

There is no I in team.
But there is a ME.

Sure, there are tons of anagrams for team.

 

[ACC1224]

I find Leaf fans blindly loyal.

You must employ some serious selective reading.

 

[Racer88]

If it gets that far, we can always try to trade his rights next June and maybe get back something worthwhile. But I expect he'll sign. For what, I have no idea.

I think he will sign as well but it will be for a crazy amount further crippling the team

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Matthews wont leave any money on the table. he will try to get as much as he possibly can. I honestly dont think he really cares about hockey. its just a business to him. money. I also dont think he hates to lose which imo is a big issue

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Matthews wont leave any money on the table. he will try to get as much as he possibly can. I honestly dont think he really cares about hockey. its just a business to him. money. I also dont think he hates to lose which imo is a big issue

They are all, essentially all talk at this point. They say winning is the most important thing but every single one of them(Matthews,Marner,Nylander) have clearly made a priority in getting contracts that reset the market over winning. Actions speak louder then words after yet another disappointing exit in the playoffs....that I am sure we will hear again when they bow out next year.

 

[OddyOh]

His last contract was designed assuming the cap would only go up. How did that work out? The cap instantly froze for multiple years.
What if there’s another pandemic, or all this forest fire smoke suddenly renders public events impossible? Who knows what other shit we’ve got coming.
Offering contracts based on the cap only going up is a really dumb way to negotiate. Is he going to score 15% more goals every single year too? He didn’t this year.
Celebrity betting endorsements are likely to be outlawed, but I’m sure his agent already knows that, so maybe that’s part of it.

 

[justashadowof]

Maybe the Leafs' biggest splash today will turn out to be the announcement of an extension for Matthews.

 

[NVious]

Maybe the Leafs' biggest splash today will turn out to be the announcement of an extension for Matthews.

18 million x 6 months (he has to see if toronto is the right place for him)

 

[ToneDog]

I think he will sign as well but it will be for a crazy amount further crippling the team

We gonna get 4 Reaves and beat the shit out of the opposition like the Panthers did. The 3 amigos will light it up in the playoffs and Gary will shed a tear or two when he hands the Cup to Johnny Toronto. LOL.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Jonas Siegel doesn't have a clue what he's talking about.

It's funny seeing the words Siegel uses. Notice how any time he's discussing actual information, it's exclusively "belief is", or "it's likely that", "could be", "might be", etc.
They don't actually say or report anything. They're literally just making horrible guesses that don't even match how contracts are formed.

Case in point, Siegel doesn't seem to have a clue how term impacts UFA contracts. The idea that we'd pay more for an 8 year deal than a 5 year deal is insane. Also, if we took the suggested 14.5m over 5 years and paid league maximum for those 3 extra years of Matthews in his 30s (which is beyond crazy to start with), we wouldn't even get to the 16m they're suggesting, so how are they getting to this number?

It's like their entire objective was creating the most convoluted way to get to the biggest possible number for shock value.

 

[Boxscore]

They are all, essentially all talk at this point. They say winning is the most important thing but every single one of them(Matthews,Marner,Nylander) have clearly made a priority in getting contracts that reset the market over winning. Actions speak louder then words after yet another disappointing exit in the playoffs....that I am sure we will hear again when they bow out next year.

The Leafs are hitching their wagons to the wrong players, folks. If one playoff win in seven years doesn't prove it to you, their constant obsession with more, more, more, and more money should. None of these brats are leaving decent money on the table for us to keep them together and add around them with adequate depth.

We have the wrong kind of players and people on this team -- no wonder they follow Justin Bieber around -- they are children.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Good luck selling Matthews (or anyone) on giving up millions of dollars so it can go to the likes of Reaves or Kampf

 

[capfit9]

Good luck selling Matthews (or anyone) on giving up millions of dollars so it can go to the likes of Reaves or Kampf

But they believe in each other, remember

 

[pcruz]

His last contract was designed assuming the cap would only go up. How did that work out? The cap instantly froze for multiple years.
What if there’s another pandemic, or all this forest fire smoke suddenly renders public events impossible? Who knows what other shit we’ve got coming.
Offering contracts based on the cap only going up is a really dumb way to negotiate. Is he going to score 15% more goals every single year too? He didn’t this year.
Celebrity betting endorsements are likely to be outlawed, but I’m sure his agent already knows that, so maybe that’s part of it.

What if there is a 10 km wide asteroid that hits the Yucatan peninsula?

What if the Sun belches out at us?

It's much more likely that someone will drive through your living room while singing this little light of mine. Did you set up bollards outside your house?

 

[Canadian Finn]

Nylander is asking for 10-11. Trade him as well. Marner will ask for 13-15 as well. Trade him.

Im actually serious. If these players want to ask for 2 million over what they are worth then trade them

if they ask for what they are worth - still trade them. (well at least p***y boy marner and fake boy matthews).

we'll never win with those fruits.

 

[IPS]

The Wasserman Media Group that represents both Dubas and Matthews is probably VERY MAD that the Leafs cut Dubas out. So now they're taking it out on the Leafs with these contract demands that insane can't even begin to describe.

 

[IPS]

So 14.5 x 5 is going to be a "bargain" because it would have costed us literal f***ing league maximum on an 8 year deal. Great.