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

[LeafsFan89]

Just my opinion - If Matthews wanted to take a pay cut and "set the tone" to the other guys that he's serious about winning, he would have done so by now.

The more this drags out, the more I am convinced that the Leafs already have an over pay deal lined up with Matthews (probably 3 x 12.5, or longer term x 13-14) and are waiting to announce it because then Willy will ask for more/not compromise on his salary ask.

Tbh, I am so turned off by this core. Mostly for their lack of grit, mental fragility, and "me first" attitude. Matthews' injuries are also a huge question mark for me.

 

[ToneDog]

I prefer Matthews to sign and take a "cut" on his salary to show everybody that he is serious about winning with this team. Others should follow. If he is smart that is what he should do. He can get extra money from sponsors and stuff like that.

He should show the team that he are a leader or sincerly and with no hard feelings what so ever just FO.

Not asking him to take less that he is worth, just asking him to take was he is worth and no more. Not 2-3 mill more then other teams would have given him. We need to stop this ecosystem.

I love that Ekholm quote "Borlange were i am from we dont need that much money" and " i got enough, i will not be able to spend all during my lifetime" . and this dude had a 3.5mill salary. Doubled it since then , still halfway to Matthews new contract. Different player and Matthew should earn a lot more. It is just the attitude to money that i feel differ a bit.

If Matty had the drive to win and be the best player in the league as he has to being the highest paid player in the league, we'd be golden. #Sad after watching him against Washington and Boston in the playoffs. Since then he has embarrassed himself by being ragged dolled by the Habs dman, intimidated by the smaller, lighter Konecky and punked by Stamkos. Need more of the guy who gave Dahlin a taste of his stick.

Just my opinion - If Matthews wanted to take a pay cut and "set the tone" to the other guys that he's serious about winning, he would have done so by now.

The more this drags out, the more I am convinced that the Leafs already have an over pay deal lined up with Matthews (probably 3 x 12.5, or longer term x 13-14) and are waiting to announce it because then Willy will ask for more/not compromise on his salary ask.

Tbh, I am so turned off by this core. Mostly for their lack of grit, mental fragility, and "me first" attitude. Matthews' injuries are also a huge question mark for me.

IMO they should be actively shopping Willie as we speak.

 

[Nineteen67]

Just my opinion - If Matthews wanted to take a pay cut and "set the tone" to the other guys that he's serious about winning, he would have done so by now.

One would think or at the very least come to camp a week or two early and get it done and out of the way.

 

[Notsince67]

Rumour has it the Leafs would like to get Willy signed first to a fair market price before Matthews signs his new salary cap busting market setting price.

If Auston isn't leaving any money on the table then why should Nylander?

Why would Nylander leave any money on the table if there is any left over after Matthews? It's a nice story but placing a condition when there appears already to be a discepancy between ask and fair market value is kind of hillareous. What is he promising?...to sign a fair market deal if Matthews takes a discount?

 

[DarkKnight]

It’s actually amazing to me that this guy will get top dollar when I can count on one sloth’s hand how many times he showed up and led in crucial moments. I’d need an abacus to count how many times he’s failed to show up. Top dollar for his big game disappearing act is hard to swallow. Winning should matter, sadly Matthews gets paid for big February stat pad games against the Sens.

My You Tube suggested Clark’s banner raising, I then watched Gilmour. You can ageism all you want, but it’s embarassing even comparing 34 to those two, at least where it really counts. He doesn’t even deserve a raise on his current bloated deal imo. Not once has he put this team on his back, mostly he just looks around for someone else to set a tone.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Just my opinion - If Matthews wanted to take a pay cut and "set the tone" to the other guys that he's serious about winning, he would have done so by now.

The more this drags out, the more I am convinced that the Leafs already have an over pay deal lined up with Matthews (probably 3 x 12.5, or longer term x 13-14) and are waiting to announce it because then Willy will ask for more/not compromise on his salary ask.

Tbh, I am so turned off by this core. Mostly for their lack of grit, mental fragility, and "me first" attitude. Matthews' injuries are also a huge question mark for me.

If Willie's waiting for Matthews to sign first, then that's exactly what he's going to. The Leafs have zero leverage to pressure him to sign before he's good and ready to do so..

 

[WTFMAN99]

It’s actually amazing to me that this guy will get top dollar when I can count on one sloth’s hand how many times he showed up and led in crucial moments. I’d need an abacus to count how many times he’s failed to show up. Top dollar for his big game disappearing act is hard to swallow. Winning should matter, sadly Matthews gets paid for big February stat pad games against the Sens.

My You Tube suggested Clark’s banner raising, I then watched Gilmour. You can ageism all you want, but it’s embarassing even comparing 34 to those two, at least where it really counts. He doesn’t even deserve a raise on his current bloated deal imo. Not once has he put this team on his back, mostly he just looks around for someone else to set a tone.

IMO a 3 year deal should be the exact same aav as what he currently has, it would be like he signed an 8 year deal at that point. He doesn't really deserve a raise.

He's getting more than Aho and Barkov etc but should still be less than McDavid and MacKinnon.

 

[Stephen]

Lol at no point has Auston Matthews given any indication he cares about winning.

He cares about earning, not winning. The only part of winning he might care about is what it would do for his personal brand.

I don’t think that’s necessarily fair to Auston Matthews but I think it’s complicated. The prevailing organizational attitude surrounding the Leafs under Kyle Dubas (or maybe it comes from Shanahan) has been this notion that knocking on the door repeatedly will result in a Leafs championship. Look how casually they used to compare themselves to Tampa and 90s Detroit.

It’s the sort of anti-Dan Marino concept where they think winning is kind of inevitable and it will click together one fine day. Sort of an ignorance to how difficult it actually is and you might go through a career and simply not get it done.

So if you’re a star athlete brought up in this culture and belief system, are you burning to win or do you think it’s just a matter of time as they always talk about “believing in each other.”

Long story short, I don’t doubt that Matthews has the sincerity to want to win but I also distrust the culture that had been in place under the previous GM where winning was going to be inevitable, entitled and a matter of belief. I don’t think Matthews is doomed to never win but I do think a change in outlook is really necessary for the whole org.

 

[Stephen]

Rumour has it the Leafs would like to get Willy signed first to a fair market price before Matthews signs his new salary cap busting market setting price.

If Auston isn't leaving any money on the table then why should Nylander?

At the end of the day, Matthews and Nylander aren’t the same class of player. Or haven’t been for the majority of their careers. So if push came to shove the Leafs should probably just pull the plug on Nylander and solve one of their homegrown princeling headaches.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

I don’t think that’s necessarily fair to Auston Matthews but I think it’s complicated. The prevailing organizational attitude surrounding the Leafs under Kyle Dubas (or maybe it comes from Shanahan) has been this notion that knocking on the door repeatedly will result in a Leafs championship. Look how casually they used to compare themselves to Tampa and 90s Detroit.

It’s the sort of anti-Dan Marino concept where they think winning is kind of inevitable and it will click together one fine day. Sort of an ignorance to how difficult it actually is and you might go through a career and simply not get it done.

So if you’re a star athlete brought up in this culture and belief system, are you burning to win or do you think it’s just a matter of time as they always talk about “believing in each other.”

Long story short, I don’t doubt that Matthews has the sincerity to want to win but I also distrust the culture that had been in place under the previous GM where winning was going to be inevitable, entitled and a matter of belief. I don’t think Matthews is doomed to never win but I do think a change in outlook is really necessary for the whole org.

Your opinion is totally fair and probably a lot more rational but I stand by what I said.

Dude's priorities are his bank account and his personal brand. I see no evidence to suggest otherwise.

 

[kevsh]

Only when players take control of their contract negotiations do they give a hometown discount, or take less "for the team".

And by "take control" I don't mean actually negotiate themselves, rather they start telling the agent what they want instead of the agent telling them what they want.

First sign of trouble: In their last round of contract negotiations both Matthews and Marner told the press that they're leaving the negotiations in the hands of their agents to deal with. That's a sure sign the agent has total control, usually in concert with the parents, and tell the player "you just worry about playing, let me handle this."

At a certain point in their maturation process, hopefully, a player decides that he knows what he wants and until that day, players like Auston are going to get paid full value and any dream of "discounts" to help the team win are just that, dreams.

 

[Gary Nylund]

At the end of the day, Matthews and Nylander aren’t the same class of player. Or haven’t been for the majority of their careers. So if push came to shove the Leafs should probably just pull the plug on Nylander and solve one of their homegrown princeling headaches.

Making a statement like this without considering cap hits makes no sense.

Your opinion is totally fair and probably a lot more rational but I stand by what I said.

Dude's priorities are his bank account and his personal brand. I see no evidence to suggest otherwise.

Yeah there's no way to know for sure what goes on inside his head but the outward signs aren't reassuring, that's what I would say.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Watching Auston on the ice he could be one of the best leafs ever, but this off ice stuff it's hard to cheer for him sometimes.

If he really bends the team over here, I hope he paid close attention to how Marner was treated after his deal and doesn't think he is immune to that.. Because the heat is going to finally get to him despite him basically being untouchable in the media and fans for too long.

13.5 x 3-4 years I think he gets booed honestly during opening night introductions. And it is embarrassing we are the only team unable to lock in our core.

Personally, I would have just retooled this offseason but it is hard to do with no first in 2025. Trading Matthews, Marner, and Nylander likely fetches multiple top prospects, several firsts, and other assets.

Then you still have Brodie, Gio, McCabe (could flip him for a first back with his cap hit), and several other valuable pieces to sell at the TDL. The rebuild would have failed, but the pain would be short as after a few seasons of bottoming out we at least have a bright future again.

The plan seems to be we're a playoff team, let's keep that going as long as we can and the players get that message and think they have done their jobs and want to be paid for it.

God help Matthews if he signs for 13-14 and a few years and has another season like last..... He will want out ASAP due to the toxicness he will get

 

[Stephen]

Making a statement like this without considering cap hits makes no sense.

There isn’t a scenario where I would actively choose to move Matthews or lose him in free agency because I prioritized Nylander.

 

[Stephen]

Your opinion is totally fair and probably a lot more rational but I stand by what I said.

Dude's priorities are his bank account and his personal brand. I see no evidence to suggest otherwise.

I don’t know if I believe that elite athletes consciously choose money and are willing to sacrifice winning, and probably aren’t making the assumption that their contract will hurt the team.

I think they believe they can have both, even in a cap world and are acting reasonably. Reason I say this is even as Matthews contract demands seem high and a little bit out of alignment with the down season he just had, there’s virtually no talk about going for max money. Which theoretically he could put out there, and could really cripple the team.

That said, from what has been reported he has been unconventionally team unfriendly in his AAV and term ask. That’s where we see the friction in the fanbase.

 

[Gary Nylund]

There isn’t a scenario where I would actively choose to move Matthews or lose him in free agency because I prioritized Nylander.

Not even a theoretical one? Like if Nylander wants 9 million a year and Matthews wants 15, that has no impact on your stance?

For me, I draw a line in the sand at some dollar amount and if they insist on more, then I say goodbye. And that applies to every player, including Matthews.

 

[notbias]

For me, it affirms my belief that analytics are vastly overrated. There are so many flaws in models when trying to translate a roster on paper to the one on the ice.

Isn't pretty much every recent cup winning team really heavy into analytics? Vegas, Colorado, Tampa... all big into it.

Could be wrong, but I think they are some of the bigger ones along with Carolina, Leafs, not sure who else.

 

[Captain Crunch]

Why would Nylander leave any money on the table if there is any left over after Matthews? It's a nice story but placing a condition when there appears already to be a discepancy between ask and fair market value is kind of hillareous. What is he promising?...to sign a fair market deal if Matthews takes a discount?

Probably he’s fairly certain Matthews is not leaving any money on the table, so why should he? Not saying he’s worth $10 million because he’s not, but him seeing how much Matthews and Marner are being paid and for the term, I don’t blame him.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

For me, it affirms my belief that analytics are vastly overrated. There are so many flaws in models when trying to translate a roster on paper to the one on the ice.

Isn't pretty much every recent cup winning team really heavy into analytics? Vegas, Colorado, Tampa... all big into it.

Could be wrong, but I think they are some of the bigger ones along with Carolina, Leafs, not sure who else.

Shayna on Twitter/“X” posted the analytics hires for every NHL team.

Vegas’ is actually pretty small, while Colorado, Tampa, and Carolina have a decent amount. Gotta remember that the analytics teams are using will be vastly more informative than what Dom, JFresh, and other analytics media guys provide us.

 

[Captain Crunch]

I don’t think that’s necessarily fair to Auston Matthews but I think it’s complicated. The prevailing organizational attitude surrounding the Leafs under Kyle Dubas (or maybe it comes from Shanahan) has been this notion that knocking on the door repeatedly will result in a Leafs championship. Look how casually they used to compare themselves to Tampa and 90s Detroit.

It’s the sort of anti-Dan Marino concept where they think winning is kind of inevitable and it will click together one fine day. Sort of an ignorance to how difficult it actually is and you might go through a career and simply not get it done.

So if you’re a star athlete brought up in this culture and belief system, are you burning to win or do you think it’s just a matter of time as they always talk about “believing in each other.”

Long story short, I don’t doubt that Matthews has the sincerity to want to win but I also distrust the culture that had been in place under the previous GM where winning was going to be inevitable, entitled and a matter of belief. I don’t think Matthews is doomed to never win but I do think a change in outlook is really necessary for the whole org.

But the problem, I believe, is that it has been Shanahan all along who is responsible for the culture of this team.

 

[Captain Crunch]

At the end of the day, Matthews and Nylander aren’t the same class of player. Or haven’t been for the majority of their careers. So if push came to shove the Leafs should probably just pull the plug on Nylander and solve one of their homegrown princeling headaches.

But don’t you think Nylander also holds all the cards? He should have been traded before his NTC kicked in (even though I believe it is a limited one).

 

[notbias]

Shayna on Twitter/“X” posted the analytics hires for every NHL team.

View attachment 736788

Vegas’ is actually pretty small, while Colorado, Tampa, and Carolina have a decent amount. Gotta remember that the analytics teams are using will be vastly more informative than what Dom, JFresh, and other analytics media guys provide us.

Ya, obviously what they use is very different and more informative.

Not sure this image tells us much other than every team uses analytics to some degree.

Would be curious who uses them the most when building a roster. I remember hearing the teams mentioned above but Colorado and Carolina being two who heavily rely on it.

 

[Captain Crunch]

Not even a theoretical one? Like if Nylander wants 9 million a year and Matthews wants 15, that has no impact on your stance?

For me, I draw a line in the sand at some dollar amount and if they insist on more, then I say goodbye. And that applies to every player, including Matthews.

The problem with that, but I agree about drawing a line in the sand, is that Dubas/management dealt a ‘25 top 10 protected first which becomes a ‘26 unprotected first round pick if we use the ‘25 first rounder, in the McCabe deal. That could really set the rebuild back.

 

[Notsince67]

Probably he’s fairly certain Matthews is not leaving any money on the table, so why should he? Not saying he’s worth $10 million because he’s not, but him seeing how much Matthews and Marner are being paid and for the term, I don’t blame him.

I don't blame him either. The choice is his. Sign or move on. He has no leverage to get paid higher than market with 2 elite players in front of him.

 

[Gary Nylund]

The problem with that, but I agree about drawing a line in the sand, is that Dubas/management dealt a ‘25 top 10 protected first which becomes a ‘26 unprotected first round pick if we use the ‘25 first rounder, in the McCabe deal. That could really set the rebuild back.

The other side of that coin is that if we give Matthews whatever he wants, and what he wants is a ridiculous overpayment, then we might just be f***ed and unable to even think about a rebuild for another 8 years and we instead spend those 8 years watching Matthews become a better, but much more expensive version of what JT is now.