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

[Gabriel426]

I still don’t understand how making AM the highest paid player in the league with a 3-5yrs term is great for the Leafs?
The fact that Treliving seems to be playing hardball or at the very least drawing a hardline is great to see.

 

[Divine]

I still don’t understand how making AM the highest paid player in the league with a 3-5yrs term is great for the Leafs?
The fact that Treliving seems to be playing hardball or at the very least drawing a hardline is great to see.

I actually think a 5 year term is great for the Leafs. Matthews will be 32 before the subsequent season begins. I don't know why he would want a 5 year contract though unless his agent thinks he's going to get a 7/8 year contract at 32 at a higher AAV than now because the cap will be that much higher.

If I had to pick between 5 and 8 years, I'd do 5. However, I don't think it makes sense for AM to sign for 5 years, it's a net benefit for the team. It's much more likely he wants to sign for 2-3 years, and then re-visit again at 29/30 with a higher cap.

 

[centipede2233]

His average production last season (by his standards) dictates that we should absolutely not give him whatever he wants. It would set yet another terrible precedent.

He should be given a fair contract extension that makes sense for both sides based on our current circumstances.

Totally agree. Matthews really doesn’t have as much leverage as some might think. How many teams a) want A.Matthews at a 14 mil caphit b) will have the room for said caphit and c) where A.Matthews would want to go there. The list might actually be zero. LA would have been my guess before the dubois trade and kopitar extension which makes them out of it. Also is matthews a 60 goal hart guy, or a 40 goal nagging wrist injury guy. If matthews wants the moon, make him earn it. Play the year out and negotiate a fair contract. If matthews thinks he’s getting more money per on another team that’s a contender he’s dreaming.

 

[Mr Bill Waters]

If only this generational player could lift his team to success in the playoffs instead of disappearing 7 years in a row. Kinda like a player worthy of the moniker “Generational player” should do

McDrai have had similar results. I feel had Dubas not been stabbed in the back by Shanajudas, we would see the promise land in no time. We will see how Tre does, but not having Matthews signed to 13.5x4 yet is alittle troubling. Dubas probably could have gotten 13.2x3 by now just based on having a close relationship with the lads. Tre is really rushed to do that and is so far behind on that front that I don't know if he can ever catch up. I await with bated breath.

 

[Niagara Bill]

McDrai have had similar results. I feel had Dubas not been stabbed in the back by Shanajudas, we would see the promise land in no time. We will see how Tre does, but not having Matthews signed to 13.5x4 yet is alittle troubling. Dubas probably could have gotten 13.2x3 by now just based on having a close relationship with the lads. Tre is really rushed to do that and is so far behind on that front that I don't know if he can ever catch up. I await with bated breath.

"A close relationship with the lads"? He over paid his 2 boys, hurt the team cap space, taught them to be alouf, helped them to be less competitive and pissed off WN who may be the best of the 3. He made JT captain and watched the other 2 sulk.
Dubas did the stabbing of Shanny.

 

[ACC1224]

I still don’t understand how making AM the highest paid player in the league with a 3-5yrs term is great for the Leafs?
The fact that Treliving seems to be playing hardball or at the very least drawing a hardline is great to see.

How do you know he’s playing hardball?
IMO, he doesn’t have much of an option but to give him a modest raise.

Totally agree. Matthews really doesn’t have as much leverage as some might think. How many teams a) want A.Matthews at a 14 mil caphit b) will have the room for said caphit and c) where A.Matthews would want to go there. The list might actually be zero. LA would have been my guess before the dubois trade and kopitar extension which makes them out of it. Also is matthews a 60 goal hart guy, or a 40 goal nagging wrist injury guy. If matthews wants the moon, make him earn it. Play the year out and negotiate a fair contract. If matthews thinks he’s getting more money per on another team that’s a contender he’s dreaming.

Teams will make room for him it comes to it just like Teams will make room for McDavid if he becomes available

 

[Mr Bill Waters]

"A close relationship with the lads"? He over paid his 2 boys, hurt the team cap space, taught them to be alouf, helped them to be less competitive and pissed off WN who may be the best of the 3. He made JT captain and watched the other 2 sulk.
Dubas did the stabbing of Shanny.

OVERPAID. No. Each is 100point player and one a 60 goal scorer. They were under paid for the later end of their contracts. Some are just jaded with impatience, and consequently this is effecting the team. If more could be like me, Dekes, kd, et al, we might be in better shape. Dubas might still be here if we had more grassroots support. You really don't switch horses in mid-stream. For the first time in seven years, I am now in fear of what's ahead.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Pretty clear we aren’t getting any kind of discount at this point from either AM/WN otherwise the deals would be done.

 

[horner]

I still don’t understand how making AM the highest paid player in the league with a 3-5yrs term is great for the Leafs?
The fact that Treliving seems to be playing hardball or at the very least drawing a hardline is great to see.

He is not the best player in the league. Marner and Nylander were our 2 best players last yr.
Mathews is so full of himself.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Why can't Matthews be productive 5 on 5 and on the PK like the players he's being compared to?

If we're arguing his stats are better because he can focus exclusively on 5v5 without draining energy on the PK, then we must accept his stats are inflated 5v5 vs players who play on the PK.

If the PK is draining, what would Marner be without being on the PK? A 120+ point guy? If so, get him off the PK. What about Crosby? A 150+ point player in his prime?

It's not a question of what he can or can't do or what his stats are, it's a question of what's best for the team and not all superstars play on the PK. Some do, some don't, that's the way it's always been and Matthews not being on the PK is a non-issue.

I’m not sure it’s on Treliving. Matthews holds all the power here, we can ask for him to lower his ask but whatever he says will go. Not a whole lot you can do outside of dealing him which is out of the question

Dubas had all the power during the RFA negotiations and screwed up historically. It’s a screw up so big we are paying for it now, 5 years later. I don’t consider the situations comparable

Exactly. Bending over for a pending UFA is one thing, it happens all the time and to some degree, it's standard operating procedure. Bending over for a RFA though, that's completely different and IMHO was the biggest and most obvious mistake Dubas made here.

Generational to what generation? He may not even be a HoF candidate.

All-time Leaf great though and eventually he'll take his rightful place among the slew of superstars we've seen over the years. Sittler and Salming, Daoust and Derlago, Ihnacak and Frycer, Damphousse and Marois, Gilmour and Clark, Sundin and Sullivan, Stajan and Blake, Kessel and Bozak, I could go on but IMO he's right up there with the best of them.

AM is not quite quick enough to kill penalties. Nylander, on the other hand, could be a PK machine.

This. Nylander has been so under utilized during his time here, I don't get it at all.

I actually think a 5 year term is great for the Leafs. Matthews will be 32 before the subsequent season begins. I don't know why he would want a 5 year contract though unless his agent thinks he's going to get a 7/8 year contract at 32 at a higher AAV than now because the cap will be that much higher.

If I had to pick between 5 and 8 years, I'd do 5. However, I don't think it makes sense for AM to sign for 5 years, it's a net benefit for the team. It's much more likely he wants to sign for 2-3 years, and then re-visit again at 29/30 with a higher cap.

IMO a 5 year term is fine, the numbers being thrown around on the other hand are insane. We'll see what happens.

As to which term I'd prefer, it all depends on the cap hit. With the cap going up, 13.5 for 8 years might not be so bad, risky but a risk you maybe have to take I guess. 13.5 for 3 years though is just gross. I suspect you're right - what he's aiming for is a short term deal and re-visit soon after to max out his earnings, we'll see.

Teams will make room for him it comes to it just like Teams will make room for McDavid if he becomes available

Depends on his ask. 13.5 on a short term deal, I doubt teams will be lining up for him at those rates, not after the season he just had.

 

[horner]

OVERPAID. No. Each is 100point player and one a 60 goal scorer. They were under paid for the later end of their contracts. Some are just jaded with impatience, and consequently this is effecting the team. If more could be like me, Dekes, kd, et al, we might be in better shape. Dubas might still be here if we had more grassroots support. You really don't switch horses in mid-stream. For the first time in seven years, I am now in fear of what's ahead.

At dubas's press conference, you could hear it in his voice and what he said that one of the core 4 were gone.
We can't keep letting these players suck up all our cap.
They are all great player for the regular season but it's the players that count and you need a team.
We can't build a defence and 1 through 4 lines we can't build for the playoffs.
Mathews marner and Nylander don't want to be out done by each other.
Someone has to put his foot down treliving and make some tough decisions.
They are all going to make over a 100 million in there careers .
It seems money and not a cup is what they want .

 

[Nineteen67]

I think it’s more the injury risk /allocation of minutes that stops him from being on the pk . He’s a heady player and I think he’d excel there . He’s a pretty proficient shot blocker as is imo . I think his contract should be high 12s around 5 years in length . But could potentially live w 13 ish .

Bergeron and Marchand killed penalties and they had Chara. They weren’t worried about injuries.

 

[Racer88]

I’m not sure it’s on Treliving. Matthews holds all the power here, we can ask for him to lower his ask but whatever he says will go. Not a whole lot you can do outside of dealing him which is out of the question

Dubas had all the power during the RFA negotiations and screwed up historically. It’s a screw up so big we are paying for it now, 5 years later. I don’t consider the situations comparable

I agree that this is not totally on Treliving. He was handed a total mess by Dubas any the one move he had was a poor one but at some point somebody has to stand up to this entitled failing core 4

McDrai have had similar results. I feel had Dubas not been stabbed in the back by Shanajudas, we would see the promise land in no time. We will see how Tre does, but not having Matthews signed to 13.5x4 yet is alittle troubling. Dubas probably could have gotten 13.2x3 by now just based on having a close relationship with the lads. Tre is really rushed to do that and is so far behind on that front that I don't know if he can ever catch up. I await with bated breath.

Ya it’s gonna be an interesting year for sure.
pits ride or die now with these guys

 

[centipede2233]

How do you know he’s playing hardball?
IMO, he doesn’t have much of an option but to give him a modest raise.


Teams will make room for him it comes to it just like Teams will make room for McDavid if he becomes available

Matthews and mcdavid are on complete different tiers….

 

[Dekes For Days]

If Matthews can give me 64 goals and 153 raw points one of these seasons, it won't matter whether he scores them 5 on 5, PP or PK.

Nobody is saying that Matthews had as good of a season as McDavid, so weird choice of player. But yeah, I'll gladly take a 64 goal, 153 point season. I'll also gladly take a season with a similar offensive or overall impact that doesn't have the exact same point total.

 

[ACC1224]

Matthews and mcdavid are on complete different tiers….

Correct

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Pretty clear we aren’t getting any kind of discount at this point from either AM/WN otherwise the deals would be done.

I mean to be fair, Mackinnon signed his contract last year September 20th.

 

[Ulysses31]

seems like not long TML were gonna be a potential dynasty when they won the lottery but fumbled ball so many times on contracts going all the back to not giving marner his bonuses

 

[Nineteen67]

Matthews and mcdavid are on complete different tiers….

Yep. McDavid is on a tier by himself at the top and Matthews is on the second tier with that next group (Drai, Pasta, Mac, Sid, etc.) and hopefully Bedard is as good as advertised and someone gets knocked off.

 

[ACC1224]

Yep. McDavid is on a tier by himself at the top and Matthews is on the second tier with that next group (Drai, Pasta, Mac, Sid, etc.) and hopefully Bedard is as good as advertised and someone gets knocked off.

Yep and Teams would find room for any of those players if they had the chance to sign them as a UFA.

 

[Mr Bill Waters]

Nobody is saying that Matthews had as good of a season as McDavid, so weird choice of player. But yeah, I'll gladly take a 64 goal, 153 point season. I'll also gladly take a season with a similar offensive or overall impact that doesn't have the exact same point total.

Precisely. Raw totals don't paint the entire picture. When you look at the totality of the stats, Matthews has a comparable impact offensively on the game as McDavid, sans defensive metrics.

 

[Sypher04]

How people are perceiving the fact he has not signed yet is exactly the argument. You perceive it as no big deal, others perceive it differently.

No, it’s not. There is perception and there is objective reality. People are making claims of Matthews and Nylander’s intent based on the fact they haven’t signed yet that simply do not jive with the history of NHL players extending, and this have no basis.

He very well could end all hope of the Leafs winning with this contract.

Lol so dramatic. Also completely untrue.

Turns out he (William Nylander) was the only one of the three that bought what Shanahan was selling. Matthews and Marner got every last dollar they could from Dubas and the Leafs. Can we even blame Nylander for doing the same on this second go-round?

This excerpt you posted from an article annoys me. In one paragraph praising William nylander and vilifying Matthews and Marner while each player got everything they reasonably could.

AM is not quite quick enough to kill penalties. Nylander, on the other hand, could be a PK machine.

Matthews is plenty fast enough to kill penalties. That said, despite defensive proficiency, I don’t know why anyone would actually want him there. Or Marner. Or Nylander

Play the year out and negotiate a fair contract.

If Matthews is willing to negotiate now then you get the deal done as early as is possible. Playing out the year is essentially walking him to market. You reach a certain point in the year where the team needs to have shown they are serious in getting a deal done with the player or he may as well just test the market.

"A close relationship with the lads"? He over paid his 2 boys, hurt the team cap space, taught them to be alouf, helped them to be less competitive and pissed off WN who may be the best of the 3. He made JT captain and watched the other 2 sulk.
Dubas did the stabbing of Shanny.

Really? Dubas taught them to be alouf? A few of your assertions here are ridiculous but that one takes the cake lol.

Pretty clear we aren’t getting any kind of discount at this point from either AM/WN otherwise the deals would be done.

Maybe but I don’t think it’s so black and white. There’s a lot of details in a contract. For all we know they are roughly on the same page in money or term and there’s something else it’s waiting on. We honestly don’t know anything.

He is not the best player in the league. Marner and Nylander were our 2 best players last yr.
Mathews is so full of himself.

And the two years prior he was clearly better than both Marner and Nylander. Being the best player doesn’t mean you are never outdone by others. League wide McDavid is the best. You could build the case for Matthews against virtually anyone else.

 

[notbias]

AM is not quite quick enough to kill penalties. Nylander, on the other hand, could be a PK machine.

Matthews would probably be our 2nd best PKer if he was used there.

Is Kampf faster? Matthews is not slow.

Best shot-blocking forward in the league too.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Precisely. Raw totals don't paint the entire picture. When you look at the totality of the stats, Matthews has a comparable impact offensively on the game as McDavid, sans defensive metrics.

I'd say McDavid has more of an impact offensively, as he's arguably the best PP player ever, and that can't be overlooked. Matthews definitely has more of an impact defensively. Overall, I'd say McDavid still brings more impact, but the gap is not as big as one might think if they only considered raw points. And when McDavid becomes a UFA, he will get a bigger contract than Matthews. I mean, heck, it's looking like Matthews' UFA cap hit percentage won't even eclipse McDavid's post-discount post-ELC cap hit percentage.

 

[Mr Bill Waters]

I'd say McDavid has more of an impact offensively, as he's arguably the best PP player ever, and that can't be overlooked. Matthews definitely has more of an impact defensively. Overall, I'd say McDavid still brings more impact, but the gap is not as big as one might think if they only considered raw points. And when McDavid becomes a UFA, he will get a bigger contract than Matthews. I mean, heck, it's looking like Matthews' UFA cap hit percentage won't even eclipse McDavid's post-discount post-ELC cap hit percentage.

Yes. I agree McDavid comes out ahead offensively still, but they are very much comparable. Defensively, Matthews is in another tier, and even the eye test proves this (I watch both).