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

[PromisedLand]

 

[seventieslord]

They swap him (and a number 4 defenseman) for Matthew Tkachuk

I'm only correcting you on this because it strengthens the point you're making. They traded a number 1 defenseman.

That said when I’m working, I charge every cent I possibly can. I can’t fault anyone for wanting to make as much as possible because why wouldn’t you. I’d say that most people on these boards would want as big of raise or charge as much as they could

Yes, so do I. You know why? Because like you and everyone else here, I'm a normal, middle class, blue-collar guy, and I need every dollar I can get. Every dollar I earn or don't earn makes a difference in my actual life.

Matthews' life doesn't change on a day to day basis if he earns $2M in '24-25, versus earning $16M. Either way, he would still be unfathomably wealthy, and able to buy whatever he wants.

And we're not even really talking about the difference between $2M and $16M; the consensus here seems to be that it's about the difference between $12.5M and $14M. Big f***ing whoop, Auston. How is this even worth your mental energy? Just do the right thing and help the team win.

No, in case you're wondering, I have zero interest in relating to the wants and needs of multimillionaire hockey superstars, which is still more interest then they have in relating to mine.

 

[Racer88]

I'm only correcting you in6 this because it strengthens the point you're making. They traded a number 1 defenseman.



Yes, so do I. You know why? Because like you and everyone else here, I'm a normal, middle class, blue-collar guy, and I need every dollar I can get. Every dollar I earn or don't earn makes a difference in my actual life.

Matthews' life doesn't change on a day to day basis if he earns $2M in '24-25, versus earning $16M. Either way, he would still be unfathomably wealthy, and able to buy whatever he wants.

And we're not even really talking about the difference between $2M and $16M; the consensus here seems to be that it's about the difference between $12.5M and $14M. Big f***ing whoop, Auston. How is this even worth your mental energy? Just do the right thing and help the team win.

No, in case you're wondering, I have zero interest in relating to the wants and needs of multimillionaire hockey superstars, which is still more interest then they have in relating to mine.

When I charge a high premium for my services I actual succeed at the task and deliver full value. I do not disappear before the job is done

 

[DarkKnight]

I feel like Tre must be playing some hardball here otherwise this would be signed. Ditto the golden locks.

 

[613Leafer]

I feel like Tre must be playing some hardball here otherwise this would be signed. Ditto the golden locks.

Or the other way around. Matthews agent knows the longer they wait, the more pressure on the Leafs.

Matthews has a NMC. Leafs options are to pay Matthews what he wants, or lose him for nothing.

 

[Nineteen67]

I feel like Tre must be playing some hardball here otherwise this would be signed. Ditto the golden locks.

Or Matthews isn't impressed with Treliving‘s moves so far and uses that as means to ask for more to sign today.

Or it’s done and they‘re waiting for camp to announce it.

 

[Nineteen67]

Or the other way around. Matthews agent knows the longer they wait, the more pressure on the Leafs.

Matthews has a NMC. Leafs options are to pay Matthews what he wants, or lose him for nothing.

If Matthews is dead set on leaving and won’t provide a list of teams he’s willing to negotiate with, should the Leafs sit him a few games?

 

[kevsh]

Either way, he would still be unfathomably wealthy, and able to buy whatever he wants.

The problem is, no one thinks that way. In no small part because it is in fact not true. Matthews making $13M/year is still going to feel humbled if he gets an invite to some tech billionaire's $150M yacht, for example.

Auston also pals around with Justin Bieber whose net worth is in the hundreds of millions. Safe to say, he's in a different league financially than Matthews.

Short version: There's always someone with more and always that thing (house, private jet, etc.) that's a bit out of reach. That is, unless you're Elon or Bezos, in which case you buy "toys" like Twitter for amusement. And no athlete is ever going to get anywhere near those levels of wealth.

So while I don't condone athletes demanding ridiculous salaries (compared to us mortals), the mindset they have is the same as a $50k/year employee seeking $60k. We all want more.

 

[IPS]

I was talking about contracts.

Sypher said that because McDavid signed a team friendly contract, the actual number amount doesn't apply when determining Matthews contract.

Yet when a player like Eichel signs what was indisputably seen as a player friendly contract a the time, it's now the new benchmark for where leaf player contracts begin.

You get that? Player friendly contracts are the new benchmark for the leafs star players. And team friendly contracts "don't count" as comparables to leaf players. Such mental gymnastics need to be played to rationalize the leafs unprecedented dramatic overpayments.

They all mocked the Eichel contract and called him overpaid at the time too. That's what makes this hilarious.

I guess it was a hilarious overpayment until it came time for Matthews to paid then it became Matthews' "floor".

And we're not even really talking about the difference between $2M and $16M; the consensus here seems to be that it's about the difference between $12.5M and $14M. Big f***ing whoop, Auston. How is this even worth your mental energy? Just do the right thing and help the team win.

It's just how some rich folks are. It's never enough. It becomes a game to them - see how high that figure in your bank account can get. They start basing their life identity around that figure in their bank account.

 

[notbias]

I feel like Tre must be playing some hardball here otherwise this would be signed. Ditto the golden locks.

Or everyone is waiting to get more clarity on what the cap will look like.

We signed based on projections 5 years ago, and it seems like everyone wants to sign based on projections again.

When I charge a high premium for my services I actual succeed at the task and deliver full value. I do not disappear before the job is done

Do you have co-workers you need to rely on and another team trying to stop you from doing the task?

It'd be simple if he just had to rely on his skill and hard work and the task gets completed.

 

[SprDaVE]

A little over a week and we're in September. Still not signed. Such a weird thing to drag on.

 

[Mess]

A little over a week and we're in September. Still not signed. Such a weird thing to drag on.

Not really.

Auston wants a short term deal at a high AAV and CH%, to set himself up for another contract to double dip again in the near future.

That might look like 3 years @ $13.5 mil & then 3-4 years @ $15.0 mil AAV

Treliving wants to get Matthews to lock into a deal of 6+ years now to stretch his high AAV and CH% over more term to extract more value down the road when the cap goes up and it brings the CH% down,

This instead will look like 6 years at $13.5 mil

Because the Leafs have been put in a real bad spot the best thing our new GM can do is hold the line and get Matthews signed for as long a possible this time around so lets hope he convinces Auston to buy in.

 

[Nineteen67]

Not really.

Auston wants a short term deal at a high AAV and CH%, to set himself up for another contract to double dip again in the near future.

That might look like 3 years @ $13.5 mil & then 3-4 years @ $15.0 mil AAV

Treliving wants to get Matthews to lock into a deal of 6+ years now to stretch his high AAV and CH% over more term to extract more value down the road when the cap goes up and it brings the CH% down,

This instead will look like 6 years at $13.5 mil

Because the Leafs have been put in a real bad spot the best thing our new GM can do is hold the line and get Matthews signed for as long a possible this time around so lets hope he convinces Auston to buy in.

In 3 yrs they’ll likely have a new President and GM and he can do it all over again.

 

[Dekes For Days]

You really don't understand how NHL contracts work do you and the difference in RFA and UFA years in a contract related to term and CH%?

This is perfect example of that ... Cap Hit % is calculated by players AAV / Salary Cap Ceiling. A players Cap Hit % is only accurate in the 1st year in which a contract is signed as a representation AT THAT TIME, how much of the teams total cap % that players AAV occupies of the NHL Salary Cap Max Ceiling.

So McDavid in year #1 of his 8 year deal had an initial CH% of Cap %

: 16.67 while Matthews in the 1st year of his 5 year deal had an initial of Cap %

: 14.64.

However that is why TERM is so important to a TEAM, because as the Salary Cap Ceiling increases annually the players C.H.% decreases annually in accordance with the new levels, and that player impacts the team less as it declines while the cap ceiling increases. The team begins to benefit more each year of the term from an original high CH% in year #1 by the time year #8 rolls around.

But because Matthews has able to convince a clueless greenhorn GM to sell off his 4 cheap RFA year and only 1 of his UFA expensive year in comparison to McDavid 4 X RFA and 4 X UFA years he has now positioned himself because of the difference of terms to exceed McDavid AAV and CH%. This is final year of Matthews 2nd contract and McDavid still have 3 years remaining on his 2nd contract.

So in 2023-24 upcoming season Salary Cap Ceiling = $83,500,000 ... McDavid actual CH% 14.97% = and Matthews CH% = 13.93% (ie $11,634,000 AAV / 83,500,000 Cap Ceiling).

Now Matthews new contract cuts in rumoured 3-4 years at $13.5 mil and Leafs begin paying Matthews more than McDavid at a higher CH%.

No, I understand how NHL contracts work and the difference between RFA and UFA years perfectly. You have demonstrated that you don't.
Signing cap hit percentages are all that is relevant when discussing signing contracts. That is what contracts and comparables are based on. They are not based on AAV.

Matthews' UFA cap hit percentage is not surpassing McDavid's post-ELC cap hit percentage. For a couple years, Matthews' AAV will be slightly higher than the heavily discounted AAV McDavid signed 6 years ago, because he's signing under a higher cap. Then McDavid will come due for his UFA contract, and he will surpass Matthews again. This is the normal cycle of contracts.

Matthews' 5 year term was not abnormal, and the cap hit percentage Matthews signed for is not abnormal for that term. Both were consistent with the history of post-ELC contracts.

You are missing part where McDavid 100 points won him Art Ross by 11 points margin

I'm not sure why you think Crosby missing 7 games that year is relevant to McDavid's contract. What's important is what they do, not what other people do. Factoring in league scoring levels doesn't change much, and for the record, due to injuries, McDavid's results are skewed later in his sample and Matthews' are skewed earlier.

That section you quoted is the least relevant part anyway. It's just there to preemptively counter common bad arguments. It's also important to remember that by exclusively raw points, McDavid is arguably the best top end post-ELC contract ever. That's why McDavid gets used in the first place, and why people try so hard to ignore everything except raw points. Considering context and looking even just a little bit deeper (like teams and agents would), you realize how close they really were, and how normal Matthews' contract really was relative to McDavid and the history of post-ELC contracts.

 

[Gary Nylund]

The problem is, no one thinks that way. In no small part because it is in fact not true. Matthews making $13M/year is still going to feel humbled if he gets an invite to some tech billionaire's $150M yacht, for example.

Auston also pals around with Justin Bieber whose net worth is in the hundreds of millions. Safe to say, he's in a different league financially than Matthews.

Short version: There's always someone with more and always that thing (house, private jet, etc.) that's a bit out of reach. That is, unless you're Elon or Bezos, in which case you buy "toys" like Twitter for amusement. And no athlete is ever going to get anywhere near those levels of wealth.

So while I don't condone athletes demanding ridiculous salaries (compared to us mortals), the mindset they have is the same as a $50k/year employee seeking $60k. We all want more.

Not true.
1 - Every athlete that's ever signed a team friendly contract has thought that way.
2 - It doesn't matter if Matthews' net worth at a given point in time is 100 million or 110 million, he's still in a different league financially than Bieber.

IMO the mindset of someone like Matthews is nothing like someone making 50/60K a year. Those people really need to get all they can, and whether they make 50 or 60K has a substantial impact on their quality of life. Matthews however, making 12 or 13 million a year will have no impact on his quality of life, it's just a matter of some people always want more whether they need it or not, and some people don't.

 

[Beaumaris]

When I charge a high premium for my services I actual succeed at the task and deliver full value. I do not disappear before the job is done

That kind of says it all.Mathew’s trademark.

 

[Stephen]

I re-read your post I responded to and... yeah... fair enough.

I see that argument so many times from other posters here that I jumped to conclusions.

I think what irks me is that Eichel was merely a proven 25 goal/65 point player when he signed that contract. Let's face it... Players with those numbers at the time made closer to 7 mil than 10 mil. Buffalo has a history of difficulty keeping players and bet on Eichel and massively overpaid him at the time in order to lock him up for 8 years.

And the very second they handed out that overpayment, it became "well if Eichel got 10 then Matthews should get..." and I think that's a broken argument from the start.

Looking back on the whole thing I can’t believe they weren’t able to do something like “Auston, we love ya and you’re better than Eichel but not better than McDavid. Let’s give you the standard 8 years and split the difference between $12.5 million and $10 million. 8 years, $11.25 million.”

It wouldn’t have been a bargain for Toronto but the math and line of argumentation would have just been so clean and easy to follow. You’re better than one guy, not the other. Everyone gets a standard 8 years. Keep in mind, that number is not an insult by any means and would still be a state of the art contract today. He was cost controlled with no leverage either. How did Kyle screw up such a layup.

If ever there was an Anti-Legends Row Kyle Dubas would get a statue, shaking hands with JFJ.

 

[LeafsFan89]

Catching up on my weekly HF metldown:

IMO the mindset of someone like Matthews is nothing like someone making 50/60K a year. Those people really need to get all they can, and whether they make 50 or 60K has a substantial impact on their quality of life. Matthews however, making 12 or 13 million a year will have no impact on his quality of life, it's just a matter of some people always want more, and some people don't.

Excellent point. My thought exactly.

If ever there was an Anti-Legends Row Kyle Dubas would get a statue, shaking hands with JFJ.

I lol hard at that. Jeff Finger's statue in the background too.

 

[Stephen]

Catching up on my weekly HF metldown:


Excellent point. My thought exactly.


I lol hard at that. Jeff Finger's statue in the background too.

And Toskala letting in a five hole goal.

 

[LeafsFan89]

And Toskala letting in a five hole goal.

Good ol' Toskaflop. Forgot about him... Time to erase him from my memory again.

 

[leafan11]

Isn’t it weird that these are the best leafs players the team has had in their 100 year plus history but are also the most unlikeable . I find our core to be more unlikeable than the solute gate crew.

 

[ACC1224]

Isn’t it weird that these are the best leafs players the team has had in their 100 year plus history but are also the most unlikeable . I find our core to be more unlikeable than the solute gate crew.

I think they are immensely popular in the real world.

 

[Stephen]

Isn’t it weird that these are the best leafs players the team has had in their 100 year plus history but are also the most unlikeable . I find our core to be more unlikeable than the solute gate crew.

With Matthews current contract negotiation situation, think of this conversation and all of its negativity as kind of the fanbase “arbitration” case where a lot of dirty laundry gets aired out. I think all of this will go away and we’ll go back to business as usual once the contract is locked in…

…although you can see if the new contract is extremely team unfriendly and the player doesn’t return to the 2021-22 heights we’ll see a decline in popularity and some reputational damage. Hopefully it doesn’t work out like that.

 

[keglu]

I'm not sure why you think Crosby missing 7 games that year is relevant to McDavid's contract. What's important is what they do, not what other people do. Factoring in league scoring levels doesn't change much, and for the record, due to injuries, McDavid's results are skewed later in his sample and Matthews' are skewed earlier.

Not much?. 77points Eichel pace ranked him 11th in PPG that season. Matthews 100p pace ranked him 13th from what i remember and he was not even able to sustain that.

 

[notbias]

Not really.

Auston wants a short term deal at a high AAV and CH%, to set himself up for another contract to double dip again in the near future.

That might look like 3 years @ $13.5 mil & then 3-4 years @ $15.0 mil AAV

Treliving wants to get Matthews to lock into a deal of 6+ years now to stretch his high AAV and CH% over more term to extract more value down the road when the cap goes up and it brings the CH% down,

This instead will look like 6 years at $13.5 mil

Because the Leafs have been put in a real bad spot the best thing our new GM can do is hold the line and get Matthews signed for as long a possible this time around so lets hope he convinces Auston to buy in.

source on all of this? I saw reports he will take a discount... weird you aren't using those as facts like you are this.