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

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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.

Do you use hard caps instead of % to try to prove a point based on irrelevant info?

The 8 year deal would have been a higher hit and the cap hasn't moved, we would still be looking at 12.5+ for him probably, and then the next contract much higher...

He is closer to Eichel than McDavid in CH%... splitting the difference was 12.25 million per year for 8 years, and he was closer to McDavid than Eichel in play, so that is a hard sell
 
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.
You consider Weegar a legit #1 defenseman? I agree with everything else to the letter. If there were no hard cap, I wouldn't care if the Leafs paid Matthews $50 mil a year. My main priority is the Leafs being able to ice a complete team capable of winning more than 1 playoff round in 7 years. And if that means Auston Matthews needs to take less in a cap world to make it happen, so be it. Like you said, I think Matthews can eat healthy on 12.5 mil a year. And I'm sure as heck not going to simp like a quasi-agent and campaign for him to make 13.5 mil on a short-term deal when doing so will hamper the Leafs even more.

We've given the young core everything they have asked for and more. They've paid the Leafs back by getting out of the 1st round once. This no longer cuts it.
 
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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.
Couldn't agree more that this should have been an 8 year deal, even at Matthews asking prices for both RFA years and UFA years,

This is what we know.. Matthews offered the Leafs a bridge deal at $9 mil X 3 years = This sets his RFA priced years 1st 4 of current deal.

1692642324022.png


Now Matthews rumoured asking price is $13.5 mil on a 3-4 year deal and that sets his asking price for UFA years.

So if we do the math on an 8 years deal ... 4 X RFA years @ $9 mil per = $36 mil & 4 X UFA years @ $13.5 mil per = $ 54 mil = 8 years @ $90 mil total = $11.25 mil AAV

Now to use a 2nd check to verify those figure to NHL comparables at the time.

McDavid ..... 8 years @ $100 mil Total = $12.5 mil AAV
Matthews .. 8 years @ $90 mil Total = $11.25 mil AAV
Eichel .......... 8 years @ $80 mil Total = $10 mil AAV

How in the bloody Hell :madfire: did Leafs clueless gluebag of a GM :dunce: come up with 5 years (4 being RFA rate) @ $58.17 mil = $11.634 mil AAV as all he could afford, when a full 8 year deal at Matthews actual #'s = $11.25 mil AAV and Leafs would still have him for an addition 3 years? His gross incompetence in understanding NHL contracts will go down in history as how badly he got played by smart player agents.

Now Matthews is trying to double down and exploit this mistake even more to his gain.
 
Do you use hard caps instead of % to try to prove a point based on irrelevant info?

The 8 year deal would have been a higher hit and the cap hasn't moved, we would still be looking at 12.5+ for him probably, and then the next contract much higher...

He is closer to Eichel than McDavid in CH%... splitting the difference was 12.25 million per year for 8 years, and he was closer to McDavid than Eichel in play, so that is a hard sell

CH% is only comparable the first year of the contract, and amortization occurs over the life of the term assuming the cap goes up as everyone says. The longer the contract, the smaller the CH% becomes in Year 6, 7 and 8 which becomes more favorable to the team as time goes on. Allowing the roster to be built out by better support cast.

Guess what, a contract that doesn’t go to Year 6, 7 and 8 can’t amortize beyond Year 5.
 
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.

It’s Leafs-typical. Nothing with this franchise can be normal. Long Cup drought, the inability to win one Game 7 out of 6 tries, the Zamboni driver game. Everything about this franchise is abnormal, so of course it would fall to reason that when the Leafs tank and draft elite talent they have to be the most greedy, selfish, and perceived heartless core in this teams history. Matthews can’t just be like McDavid or Draisaitl or MacKinnon or Pastrnak or Svechnikov or Eichel or Barkov or Huberdeau or Tkachuk or Point or Kucherov or Stone and sign a f***ing 8 year deal while still being filthy stinking rich and do the bare minimum help his team out when in a few years his contract isn’t taking up so much of the cap. No he has to get short term deals because he always has to be the highest paid player or take up a certain amount of cap always.

Nylander’s contract and negotiation is the same thing. He was the FIRST RFA to go the distance with his post ELC contract. Every other franchise that has a holdout usually has to wait at most a month before the two sides figure it out. Not the Leafs though, had to wait until the last minute before it was impossible for him to play that season before he signed. It just can’t be easy with these three. They’ll go to the mattresses against the franchise when it comes time to get more money but on the ice we’re lucky to see half that level of fight from them when things get a bit too rough for their liking.

All the God given talent in the world but they really know how to repulse the fan base with their tactics.
 
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.
A lot more factors in to PPG ranks for top players than league scoring levels.
 
CH% is only comparable the first year of the contract, and amortization occurs over the life of the term assuming the cap goes up as everyone says. The longer the contract, the smaller the CH% becomes in Year 6, 7 and 8 which becomes more favorable to the team as time goes on. Allowing the roster to be built out by better support cast.

Guess what, a contract that doesn’t go to Year 6, 7 and 8 can’t amortize beyond Year 5.

So, just to get this straight, you think Dubas signed terrible contracts and they look terrible because the cap didn't go up, so you're solution is to sign longer contracts for more money and hope the cap goes up.

I find it comical how the people saying Dubas shouldn't have expected the cap to go up now expect the cap to go up.

Matthews at 12.5+ (that would have been the contract and between Eichel/McDavid) would have been good in your books for the last 4 years?
 
It’s Leafs-typical. Nothing with this franchise can be normal. Long Cup drought, the inability to win one Game 7 out of 6 tries, the Zamboni driver game. Everything about this franchise is abnormal, so of course it would fall to reason that when the Leafs tank and draft elite talent they have to be the most greedy, selfish, and perceived heartless core in this teams history. Matthews can’t just be like McDavid or Draisaitl or MacKinnon or Pastrnak or Svechnikov or Eichel or Barkov or Huberdeau or Tkachuk or Point or Kucherov or Stone and sign a f***ing 8 year deal while still being filthy stinking rich and do the bare minimum help his team out when in a few years his contract isn’t taking up so much of the cap. No he has to get short term deals because he always has to be the highest paid player or take up a certain amount of cap always.

Nylander’s contract and negotiation is the same thing. He was the FIRST RFA to go the distance with his post ELC contract. Every other franchise that has a holdout usually has to wait at most a month before the two sides figure it out. Not the Leafs though, had to wait until the last minute before it was impossible for him to play that season before he signed. It just can’t be easy with these three. They’ll go to the mattresses against the franchise when it comes time to get more money but on the ice we’re lucky to see half that level of fight from them when things get a bit too rough for their liking.

All the God given talent in the world but they really know how to repulse the fan base with their tactics.
Not sure if they just do not get it or just do not care. You know just like their "give a shit" in big playoff games is virtually zero. Too late to move on. Either overpay, hope you can trade them at the TDL or use them as an "own rental". f***ing sad after what we saw in the series against the Caps.
 
Couldn't agree more that this should have been an 8 year deal, even at Matthews asking prices for both RFA years and UFA years,

This is what we know.. Matthews offered the Leafs a bridge deal at $9 mil X 3 years = This sets his RFA priced years 1st 4 of current deal.

View attachment 737772

Now Matthews rumoured asking price is $13.5 mil on a 3-4 year deal and that sets his asking price for UFA years.

So if we do the math on an 8 years deal ... 4 X RFA years @ $9 mil per = $36 mil & 4 X UFA years @ $13.5 mil per = $ 54 mil = 8 years @ $90 mil total = $11.25 mil AAV

Now to use a 2nd check to verify those figure to NHL comparables at the time.

McDavid ..... 8 years @ $100 mil Total = $12.5 mil AAV
Matthews .. 8 years @ $90 mil Total = $11.25 mil AAV
Eichel .......... 8 years @ $80 mil Total = $10 mil AAV

How in the bloody Hell :madfire: did Leafs clueless gluebag of a GM :dunce: come up with 5 years (4 being RFA rate) @ $58.17 mil = $11.634 mil AAV as all he could afford, when a full 8 year deal at Matthews actual #'s = $11.25 mil AAV and Leafs would still have him for an addition 3 years? His gross incompetence in understanding NHL contracts will go down in history as how badly he got played by smart player agents.

Now Matthews is trying to double down and exploit this mistake even more to his gain.

Now Matthews is trying to replicate the last negotiations as well as set the table for the next round of negotiations.

Anyway. The first extension was so bad. It’s like it was negotiated by an intern or something.
 
Couldn't agree more that this should have been an 8 year deal, even at Matthews asking prices for both RFA years and UFA years,

This is what we know.. Matthews offered the Leafs a bridge deal at $9 mil X 3 years = This sets his RFA priced years 1st 4 of current deal.

View attachment 737772

Now Matthews rumoured asking price is $13.5 mil on a 3-4 year deal and that sets his asking price for UFA years.

So if we do the math on an 8 years deal ... 4 X RFA years @ $9 mil per = $36 mil & 4 X UFA years @ $13.5 mil per = $ 54 mil = 8 years @ $90 mil total = $11.25 mil AAV

Now to use a 2nd check to verify those figure to NHL comparables at the time.

McDavid ..... 8 years @ $100 mil Total = $12.5 mil AAV
Matthews .. 8 years @ $90 mil Total = $11.25 mil AAV
Eichel .......... 8 years @ $80 mil Total = $10 mil AAV

How in the bloody Hell :madfire: did Leafs clueless gluebag of a GM :dunce: come up with 5 years (4 being RFA rate) @ $58.17 mil = $11.634 mil AAV as all he could afford, when a full 8 year deal at Matthews actual #'s = $11.25 mil AAV and Leafs would still have him for an addition 3 years? His gross incompetence in understanding NHL contracts will go down in history as how badly he got played by smart player agents.

Now Matthews is trying to double down and exploit this mistake even more to his gain.

Yes exactly this. It's a real comedy of errors and the contract with Marner blows this one away. Matthews is a legit goal scorer at least, i like him other than i think he could use another gear on the intensity scale. Then again looking the team being pretty cowardly as a whole I understand it would be hard to get fired up and play with that urgency.
 
Couldn't agree more that this should have been an 8 year deal, even at Matthews asking prices for both RFA years and UFA years,

This is what we know.. Matthews offered the Leafs a bridge deal at $9 mil X 3 years = This sets his RFA priced years 1st 4 of current deal.

View attachment 737772

Now Matthews rumoured asking price is $13.5 mil on a 3-4 year deal and that sets his asking price for UFA years.

So if we do the math on an 8 years deal ... 4 X RFA years @ $9 mil per = $36 mil & 4 X UFA years @ $13.5 mil per = $ 54 mil = 8 years @ $90 mil total = $11.25 mil AAV

Now to use a 2nd check to verify those figure to NHL comparables at the time.

McDavid ..... 8 years @ $100 mil Total = $12.5 mil AAV
Matthews .. 8 years @ $90 mil Total = $11.25 mil AAV
Eichel .......... 8 years @ $80 mil Total = $10 mil AAV

How in the bloody Hell :madfire: did Leafs clueless gluebag of a GM :dunce: come up with 5 years (4 being RFA rate) @ $58.17 mil = $11.634 mil AAV as all he could afford, when a full 8 year deal at Matthews actual #'s = $11.25 mil AAV and Leafs would still have him for an addition 3 years? His gross incompetence in understanding NHL contracts will go down in history as how badly he got played by smart player agents.

Now Matthews is trying to double down and exploit this mistake even more to his gain.

using the CH% (the only thing that matters) he is at 12.25 million for 8 years if he is between McDavid/Eichel... not sure this helps your case, so feel free to ignore it.
 
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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…
Quite possibly. However, depending on the AAV and term, it will continue to hover until Matthews and the Leafs have significant success in the playoffs. It also depends on Matthews' contract being "the reason" a player like Nylander is dealt, Marner is empowered to hold the Leafs hostage soon, or the Leafs cannot afford quality depth next year and beyond. But, I do agree, if / when he signs... after the initial debating about the quality of deal takes place... we'll punt until it rears its ugly head again.
 

It's Seravalli so I don't think it holds much weight, but saying "all he cares about is money" holds the same or less.
We can be the judge of that. I mean, Mike Johnson said Matthews should be getting 15 mil a year on a short-term deal. So for him, Auston getting 13.75 x 4 would be considered a significant discount. Let's see once the AAV and term drop. To me, term is the biggest indicator.
 
You consider Weegar a legit #1 defenseman? I agree with everything else to the letter. If there were no hard cap, I wouldn't care if the Leafs paid Matthews $50 mil a year. My main priority is the Leafs being able to ice a complete team capable of winning more than 1 playoff round in 7 years. And if that means Auston Matthews needs to take less in a cap world to make it happen, so be it. Like you said, I think Matthews can eat healthy on 12.5 mil a year. And I'm sure as heck not going to simp like a quasi-agent and campaign for him to make 13.5 mil on a short-term deal when doing so will hamper the Leafs even more.

We've given the young core everything they have asked for and more. They've paid the Leafs back by getting out of the 1st round once. This no longer cuts it.

Why should Auston take less, when they overpaid Tavares?
 
If he is so willing to take a discount whey is he not signed yet………maybe his idea of a discount is not the same as management
 
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It’s Leafs-typical. Nothing with this franchise can be normal. Long Cup drought, the inability to win one Game 7 out of 6 tries, the Zamboni driver game. Everything about this franchise is abnormal, so of course it would fall to reason that when the Leafs tank and draft elite talent they have to be the most greedy, selfish, and perceived heartless core in this teams history. Matthews can’t just be like McDavid or Draisaitl or MacKinnon or Pastrnak or Svechnikov or Eichel or Barkov or Huberdeau or Tkachuk or Point or Kucherov or Stone and sign a f***ing 8 year deal while still being filthy stinking rich and do the bare minimum help his team out when in a few years his contract isn’t taking up so much of the cap. No he has to get short term deals because he always has to be the highest paid player or take up a certain amount of cap always.

Nylander’s contract and negotiation is the same thing. He was the FIRST RFA to go the distance with his post ELC contract. Every other franchise that has a holdout usually has to wait at most a month before the two sides figure it out. Not the Leafs though, had to wait until the last minute before it was impossible for him to play that season before he signed. It just can’t be easy with these three. They’ll go to the mattresses against the franchise when it comes time to get more money but on the ice we’re lucky to see half that level of fight from them when things get a bit too rough for their liking.

All the God given talent in the world but they really know how to repulse the fan base with their tactics.
I think this entire era so far can be summed up in one word: entitlement.

Shanahan feels he's entitled to play fantasy hockey with MLSE's bankroll. Dubas felt entitled to nuke a future HHOF coach in favor of his buddy without any NHL experience. Dubas felt his young core were entitled to max dollars at minimum term because he shares their sense of entitlement and wanted to be one of the cool kids. The players are so entitled, they lack any form of selflessness when it comes to operating in a cap league and invest emotional equity on childish things like the team dress code. The entire organization is so entitled, they believe winning a Cup is inevitable because they have a small core of highly skilled stars. Even recently, Dubas' sense of entitlement lead to a failed power grab. Unfortunately, with the way the world is today, a sense of entitlement is generally met with contempt.
 
Why should Auston take less, when they overpaid Tavares?
Because, after winning 1 round in 7 years (and hitting a grand slam on his last deal), the time for behaving like an entitled, spoiled kid should be over. He's going on 26 and he's a grown man now, which means he should realize that his next deal is absolutely paramount to the Leafs success and health of the team's internal culture for the rest of his tenure in Toronto. Yes, the Leafs overpaid Tavares and it was a mistake. But Matthews and Marner also capitalized on Dubas' spending spree last go around. Now it's time to wise up.
 
Why wouldn’t marner ask for matthews money. He is comparable to matthews in every category and is out best all around player.

The disconnect for leaf fans is the marner nylander comparison. Nylander fans have always tried to pit the two against each other and try to belittle marner is many childish ways. And Vica versa with marner fans doing the same to nylander.

In my favourite scenario we traded matthews and kept marner nylander but we all know that’s not going to happen. I believe matthews cannot elevate his game in the playoffs. If you want to be called generational and be the highest paid player in the league you can’t disappear when the going gets tough. IMHO we won’t win a cup with matthews
Sorry but there is no basis for Marner being on Matthews’ level. Significantly worse goal scoring, zero individual hardware, plays the least valuable position in hockey, etc.
 

It's Seravalli so I don't think it holds much weight, but saying "all he cares about is money" holds the same or less.
Yeah I have no idea how reliable most of these media guys are so ... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I had a quick peek at the link, the most concerning part for me is this
One of the real considerations that they have here while they embark on this path is; first off they're not in any rush to do it and wanna see a full view of the chess board and what Brad Treliving has assembled. That includes what happens with William Nylander and how that's dealt with."

He's the captain, and IMO he needs to sign before Nylander. And I agree with what it says later on at the link you gave

It's especially important that it is Auston Matthews doing this. As the team's on ice leader and more than likely their future captain, him taking a discount could encourage Mitch Marner and William Nylander, among others, to do the same. If the three of them are willing to give up some AAV, or sign an extra year or two on their contracts, it would go a long way towards taking the Leafs from hopefuls to true contenders.


Matthews is "the man", not Nylander. Balls in his court, we'll see what happens.
 
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Because, after winning 1 round in 7 years (and hitting a grand slam on his last deal), the time for behaving like an entitled, spoiled kid should be over. He's going on 26 and he's a grown man now, which means he should realize that his next deal is absolutely paramount to the Leafs success and health of the team's internal culture for the rest of his tenure in Toronto. Yes, the Leafs overpaid Tavares and it was a mistake. But Matthews and Marner also capitalized on Dubas' spending spree last go around. Now it's time to wise up.

Do you really think Auston Matthews Cares about the Leafs success (yes, he would love it), but I don’t think the Leafs success takes precedence over Auston’s financial success.
 
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Elliotte Friedman is the source



Source on the rest of the post, that is not what I am worried about.

Treliving is aiming for 6? Matthews wants short-term so he can re-up again at a higher cap? I gave you a source for saying he'd take less.

How do you know the cap is going up? You rip the old GM for assuming so and now you are assuming? Seems hypocritical.
 
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