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

[authentic]

I disagree completely. Ray Bourque didn't have a Cup until he was gifted a trade (against his wishes no less) to a stacked Avs team and I always thought he was an outstanding leader. Wendel Clark was one of the best leaders I ever saw and he has zero Cups. I've always thought Thornton was an uber talented but softish player without the "it factor" -- perhaps that's why the Bruins bailed on him early on. Certain players are like that. I think Matthews is and I also think a kid like Dougie Hamilton is. That "thing" just doesn't exist in them; you can see it isn't there. Call it killer instinct, hatred of losing, etc. Same with Tavares and Marner. For the Leafs, Rielly is the best leader on the team. But you can see it with players. Kids like the Tkachuk boys, MacKinnon, Toews, Crosby, etc. have the gene in spades.

One of my favorite players back in the day was Pierre Turgeon. Big, strong, insanely gifted, and could score in bunches for days. Matthews reminds me of him a lot, except 34 is a better shooter and Turgeon was an elite distributor. But they are very similar in their size, demeanor, and putty like attitude when it comes to going into battle.

As for Eichel, no, I don't think he's a leader. I think he's a very good player who benefitted tremendously from going to a team with a strong identity, structure, and leadership. All he had to do was deliver the offense and hold up his end of the bargain, which to his credit, he did. Do I think Eichel is more of a leader than Matthews? No. But I do think he was able to level up his game in the playoffs to the point where he almost won the Conn Smythe. If we're being honest, that's another flaw in Matthews game -- his 0.88 PPG in the playoffs and his nonchalant attitude after losing.

Sometimes teams can win without their best players being great leaders but it's rare. The last team to do it was maybe the Capitals, as I don't consider Ovechkin an elite leader per se, although he can take over games and he never passes up a chance to go to war.

I agree with you about Thornton but Matthews is nothing like that. Only if you ignore he has played noticeably hurt for nearly half his playoff career. But players like Thornton don't have any series where they dominate like Matthews did against Tampa, they don't have 100 hits in less than 40 playoff games along with tons of blocked shots and takeaways all while scoring timely goals and playing amazing defense. You just keep repeating the .88PPG as if that's indicative of his play throughout his playoff career, but meanwhile he had 9 goals and 18 points in 2 straight series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that only lost to Colorado in the Cup finals and Toronto for 4 straight playoffs. He had one really bad series against Boston with 2 points in 7 games, a team that also held Crosby to 1 assist in a 4 game sweep and other than that series he is essentially at a point per game in his career. He just had a 12 game point streak until getting injured against Florida, had a game against Tampa where they didn't record a shot against Matthews when he was on the ice for 24 minutes and you want to compare him to Joe Thornton... Lol

 

[LeafGrief]

Guy needs to decide if he's in or out. If he wants to be the highest paid player in the league, it's because in addition to being a perennial Hart and Rocket candidate, he's the leader that the Leafs need. If he's going to maximize dollars at every turn, he's out. Sorry my dude, but in the NHL winners take a little less on their deals even if it's purely symbolic.

I think five years is the ideal term. That would take him to 32, I see no need to commit to eight digit contracts for players well into their mid 30's. We're learning that lesson with Tavares right now.

 

[mapleleaf979]

13 or 14 million is a joke for a player that wants to win, clearly he must understand the salary cap. He should take 10 million, poor guy and let the GM spend money elsewhere. Matthews doesnt care if he has an AHL squad level with him, just give him the highest paid player tag and feed into his ego.

 

[Boxscore]

I agree with you about Thornton but Matthews is nothing like that.

Matthews is actually softer than Thornton. Could you imagine being 6-3, 220 pounds and letting Steven Stamkos throw you around and humiliate you on home ice like an empty Dorito's bag? Sorry, awesome player, but the kid is softer than marshmallow. You say Matthews has "100 hits" yet none of them were memorable or significant.

 

[PromisedLand]

13.5M for 4 years is apparently a "contract leak"

F this shit. Matthews can GTFO

Matthews is f***ing overrated. 13.5 is a JOKE! Mack'c contract is after he won the cup. Just so sick of these greedy ass suck ass in the playoffs players.

Leaked Auston Matthews Contract is a steal for the Maple Leafs?

Auston Matthews' possible extension has leaked and it could be a steal for the Maple Leafs.

www.hockeypatrol.com

 

[notbias]

13.5M for 4 years is apparently a "contract leak"

F this shit. Matthews can GTFO

Matthews is f***ing overrated. 13.5 is a JOKE! Mack'c contract is after he won the cup. Just so sick of these greedy ass suck ass in the playoffs players.

Leaked Auston Matthews Contract is a steal for the Maple Leafs?

Auston Matthews' possible extension has leaked and it could be a steal for the Maple Leafs.

www.hockeypatrol.com

Mack's contract is a huge discount according to him though, you have to remember he told the media that, so in reality, he is probably closer to 15 million if he took full value........ 13.5 for Matthews seems fair now

 

[Racer88]

Using "goalied" or anything as an excuse won't fly any more. Our stars are getting paid to overcome whatever is thrown at them more than once every eight series. Looks like the Shanaplan is to re-sign them all, so we're stuck with them. God help them if they keep wetting the bed.

Yup. These guys aren’t kids anymore and it’s about time they start taking responsibility for the poor playoff performances. As well as the many games during the season that they play inferior opponents but still get their butts kicked

 

[Ziggdiezan]

Going to be a tough year next year with zero depth if Matthews and Nylander are resigned to big raises

 

[ACC1224]

This is an excellent point that never gets brought up when the whining about taxes comes in.

I 100% don't blame players at all for wanting to avoid Canada, but that US dollar goes a helluva lot further here

I bring it up at times. You should follow me.

 

[Menzinger]

Worth noting that Matthews and his agent are hardly the only ones paying attention to the cap situation and adjusting contract demands to reflect that. The Leafs three biggest contracts this free agency were 1 year deals for a reason..... And they weren't the only guys to emphasize short term deals

 

[Menzinger]

This is an excellent point that never gets brought up when the whining about taxes comes in.

I 100% don't blame players at all for wanting to avoid Canada, but that US dollar goes a helluva lot further here

True to an extent. Though things tend to not cost the same between the two countries - especially things that a millionaire might care about (ie automobiles/property, which are usually cheaper in the US)

 

[ACC1224]

True to an extent. Though things tend to not cost the same between the two countries - especially things that a millionaire might care about (ie automobiles/property, which are usually cheaper in the US)

Property value will more than likely increase here.

30% on the dollar brings many of those things closer.

 

[tuckerintensity]

Dougie, Clark, and Sundin were all considered great leaders and they never won a Cup.

Ummmm...

 

[Stephen]

This is an excellent point that never gets brought up when the whining about taxes comes in.

I 100% don't blame players at all for wanting to avoid Canada, but that US dollar goes a helluva lot further here

From the months of September to April-May-June, a Leaf player like Matthews is going to make $13.5 million which translates to $17.8 million Canadian in gross income.

 

[tuckerintensity]

13.5 for 4 or 5 years is pretty much what we should expect to be paying for a guy a year removed from Hart, two Rocket Richard's, and four times led the league in ES goals.

I'd love to pay him 11 too, but sweet lord your valuations are B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

 

[authentic]

13.5M for 4 years is apparently a "contract leak"

F this shit. Matthews can GTFO

Matthews is f***ing overrated. 13.5 is a JOKE! Mack'c contract is after he won the cup. Just so sick of these greedy ass suck ass in the playoffs players.

Leaked Auston Matthews Contract is a steal for the Maple Leafs?

Auston Matthews' possible extension has leaked and it could be a steal for the Maple Leafs.

www.hockeypatrol.com

Having him for 5 more seasons is basically perfect and it encapsulates all his prime years and our window to compete for the Cup. Did anyone really think he was taking less than 13.5 anyway? Sure it would be nice if he took 12 something but would you really want 8 years especially if his health ends up being a problem going forward? Longer term would be more money too.

13.5 for 4 or 5 years is pretty much what we should expect to be paying for a guy a year removed from Hart, two Rocket Richard's, and four times led the league in ES goals.

I'd love to pay him 11 too, but sweet lord your valuations are B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

John Tavares got 11 how many years ago now, and sorry but a 60 goal scorer, two-way center at age 26-27 is going for a little more than that especially with the Cap finally going up now

 

[Boxscore]

Ummmm...

With the Leafs. Yet they were beloved for their leadership in Toronto.

 

[tuckerintensity]

From the months of September to April-May-June, a Leaf player like Matthews is going to make $13.5 million which translates to $17.8 million Canadian in gross income.

You know what's readily available? His effective tax rate and where his net income would rank against every NHL market. Players in Toronto face the second highest effective tax rate in the league. He'd make more in 31 other cities at the same salary/signing bonus he gets this year.

 

[tuckerintensity]

With the Leafs. Yet they were beloved for their leadership in Toronto.

Nice save.

How was Clark's leadership talk when he lost in the first round or didn't make the playoffs for five straight years? How do you think Matthews would be rated if he goes to the conference finals the next two years? Exactly the same. It's almost like this has nothing to do with leadership.

Matthews is actually softer than Thornton. Could you imagine being 6-3, 220 pounds and letting Steven Stamkos throw you around and humiliate you on home ice like an empty Dorito's bag? Sorry, awesome player, but the kid is softer than marshmallow. You say Matthews has "100 hits" yet none of them were memorable or significant.

I get it now, you're a satirical account.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Contract should be based on playoff performance.

 

[Stephen]

You know what's readily available? His effective tax rate and where his net income would rank against every NHL market. Players in Toronto face the second highest effective tax rate in the league. He'd make more in 31 other cities at the same salary/signing bonus he gets this year.

Sure, and his day to day living expenses in a Canadian city will vary relative to the other 31 teams in the league. Cheaper than some cities, more expensive than others...

And in summary, why do I care? We are already paying the most expensive contract in the league. I'm not here cheering on his career earnings totals.

 

[baton elevated]

Give him his money on a 5 yr deal but don't give him a NVM or no trade. Leafs give him the money he wants but he has to give the leafs something too.

 

[Boxscore]

You know what's readily available? His effective tax rate and where his net income would rank against every NHL market. Players in Toronto face the second highest effective tax rate in the league. He'd make more in 31 other cities at the same salary/signing bonus he gets this year.

All of this is irrelevant in a hard cap league. If we were going by the value book, guys like McDavid would make 18 mil a year. Auston Matthews plays professional hockey in a league with a hard cap. He also plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs which comes with certain advantages and disadvantages compared to other markets. Fans can care less about the "dollar amount" Matthews makes -- we care about being able to ice a team that is balanced and deep enough to compete for a Cup.

We know the deal, the Leafs know the deal, and Matthews knows the deal. There's only so much money you can pay a player in a cap league before your roster is top-heavy and unable to win when it counts. That's where the Leafs have been. Right now Matthews has two choices:

1. Take less so the Leafs can build a deeper, and hopefully more successful, team around him.

2. Leverage the team into paying him max money on a short-term deal so he can maximize his cap % as the cap rises, every 4 years, keeping the Leafs annually cap-strapped in the process.

He is choosing option 2 on the heels of annual playoff disappointments. This is what fans have a problem with, not the dollar amount. Especially, when he could sign a 12.5 x 8 year deal tonight for 100 million (plus the 60 million he has already made) and give the Leafs a good chance to build a winner while walking away with 160 million+ career earnings. At what point is enough, enough? Honestly. If you think Matthews deserves a sympathy card for settling for 12.5 x 8, I don't know what to tell you.

There's give and take in every successful relationship. You'd hope that both the team and the player here would act in good faith to achieve one common goal -- winning Cups. But so far with Matthews, these deals have been 100% one-sided in his favor.

 

[JKG33]

13.5 for 4 or 5 years is pretty much what we should expect to be paying for a guy a year removed from Hart, two Rocket Richard's, and four times led the league in ES goals.

I'd love to pay him 11 too, but sweet lord your valuations are B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

He might very well be "worth" 13.5, but do you honestly believe a team can win the cup investing that much into a player who doesn't step up in the playoffs?

 

[baton elevated]

Truthfully 5 years is perfect, I won't shed a tear when this fella is out of here. Not my type of player at all.