Rumor: Kypreos says Matthews will be 13.5M (Haggling over term)

[Ace]

It’s Kypreos so a huge grain of salt should be taken here

If true that’s a disgusting contract and shows what his priorities are

You were confused what his priorities were before this report?

 

[MoneyManny]

It basically tells the team he cares way more about the money then the rest of the team and actually winning a cup with that group.

Same for everyone else who has a job. Would you take a pay cut so your boss can give the money to someone else? Sports fans are so unreasonable.

 

[SENStastic]

More money.

If he signs for 3 years today, he still a UFA at 29 years of age in July 2027. Then he can sign his big long term deal for big money... And he gets to do it when the salary cap is no longer flat and rapidly rising.


Think of it like this:

Option A) He signs 7x$13.5M with Toronto starting July 2024 when he's 26 turning 27. He becomes a UFA next when he's 32 turning 33 and at that age he signs a 3x$7M contract as a UFA then retires at 35/36.

Earnings over those 10 years: $115.5M

Option B) He signs 3x$13.5M with Toronto starting July 2024 when he's 26 turning 27. Becomes a UFA when he's 29 turning 30. At that age he's still a major top commodity that all teams would chase in free agency. At a $96M salary cap that year, Matthews signs a 7x$16M cap hit in free agency with Toronto or some other teams that takes him to 35/36 and then he retired.

Earnings over same 10 year period as Option A: $152.5M



The result? He makes an extra $37M in his career.

Thats most likely the case if all he cares about is maximize his personal earnings. Most likely gets closer to 10mx3 tho in your 1st scenario at 32yo with the cap increase, but still gets a decent amount more going with the second route for sure barring serious/career threatening injuries. But he'll most likely handicap his team throughout it all and make it very difficult to assemble a deep cup contender in the process. I'm all for it though

 

[WTFMAN99]

My random guy on the Internet calculation has 6 years as the sweet spot. Takes him to the year 2030 and age 33 and extends his Leafs stay for as reasonable a runway as you’d want.

12.95M x 6?

Makes the most in the entire league and likely 90-92% signing bonuses.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

12.95M x 6?

Makes the most in the entire league and likely 90-92% signing bonuses.

I think he would need a AAV north of 14M to take on that sort of term.

 

[LOFIN]

Just a matter of time until the top players in the league start pressing the issue. Look at the NBA, guys take 1 year deals at max money. Why should you be locking yourself into 8 year deals when the cap is going up every year? Just plain dumb.

Because every now and then you get a Landeskog, and you're glad you signed that 8 year deal when you have a career ending injury on the first year of that deal.

 

[MapleLeafs9]

Blame the cap, not the player. Matthews is worth it anyway

 

[12ozPapa]

Sign him for whatever, if he is the leader of that core, they won’t win a Cup

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

I think he would need a AAV north of 14M to take on that sort of term.

I would like to trade him for 1 Jack Hughes please

 

[WTFMAN99]

I think he would need a AAV north of 14M to take on that sort of term.

Easy pass for me then lol.

 

[Curufinwe]

Auston Matthews last contract was valued at 14.64% of the team’s salary cap and those bought out a lot of restricted years. If the $13.5M AAV contract is true, and let’s say next year’s salary cap is $87M, that would be 15.5%.

And the cap should be $100m pretty soon.

SEASON	CONFIRMED	% CHANGE	UPPER LIMIT	LOWER LIMIT	MIN. SALARY
2025-26	NHL Estimate	5.14%	$92,000,000	$68,000,000	$775,000
2024-25	NHL Estimate	4.79%	$87,500,000	$64,700,000	$775,000
2023-24	Jun. 23, 2023	1.21%	$83,500,000	$61,700,000	$775,000

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

Blame the cap, not the player. Matthews is worth it anyway

5.5m more than Hughes (yes yes RFA years)
5.5m more than Stutzle (yes yes RFA years)
4m more than Tkachuk
1m more than Mackinnon
2m more than Pasta


OH and 5 f***in years fewer!

He's not worth it.

 

[WTFMAN99]

And the cap should be $100m pretty soon.

SEASON	CONFIRMED	% CHANGE	UPPER LIMIT	LOWER LIMIT	MIN. SALARY
2025-26	NHL Estimate	5.14%	$92,000,000	$68,000,000	$775,000
2024-25	NHL Estimate	4.79%	$87,500,000	$64,700,000	$775,000
2023-24	Jun. 23, 2023	1.21%	$83,500,000	$61,700,000	$775,000

You can't go by estimated future caps anymore

Chicago got burned thinking the cap would jump to 100M quickly.

Toronto's window largely got crushed by the covid crunch...and they refused to pivot off the "big 4"

Matthews hasn't been a clutch playoff performer either.

There really isn't a lot of reason to go into unchartered waters of AAV on Matthews other than "he might walk" - okay so? We haven't won more than a single round with him, the wrist is questionable long term and is anyone gonna want to pony up 14M for Matthews? Columbus, Ohio? Enjoy Matthews. (No offense to the city of Columbus)

 

[MessierII]

If that’s anything less than 8 years I would be livid as a leafs fan.

 

[Tony Romo]

Has any star player ever bent their team over as much as him?

his teammate and him are definitely 1 and 2

 

[Ita]

Same for everyone else who has a job. Would you take a pay cut so your boss can give the money to someone else? Sports fans are so unreasonable.

McDavid, took a discount for his team….

What’s unreasonable is you because you choose to willfully ignore the countless examples of players taking a discount for various reasons.

 

[MapleLeafs9]

5.5m more than Hughes (yes yes RFA years)
5.5m more than Stutzle (yes yes RFA years)
4m more than Tkachuk
1m more than Mackinnon
2m more than Pasta


OH and 5 f***in years fewer!

He's not worth it.

Matthews is in the tier below McDavid and anyone claiming otherwise is just a leafs hater that wants to hate everything the leafs and their players do or accomplish.

Absolutely worth it.

 

[AvroArrow]

It’s Kypreos so a huge grain of salt should be taken here

If true that’s a disgusting contract and shows what his priorities are

I mean I disagree with a lot of Kyper's takes, but the guy is a solid insider with strong relationships with a lot of people. He's usually pretty accurate when it comes to reporting these kinds things.

I was really hoping Auston and the team learned from the last 5 years, and would've taken a more team friendly deal. Around 12.5M, max 13, but not totally surprised either.

 

[DavidpauseReinbacher]

Blame the cap, not the player. Matthews is worth it anyway

This. Players should have been doing this for years. But this good ole boy league has forced and controlled how deals are given. Glad the new generation is tryin to modernize nhl. The fact that not all the gms speak to each other is hilarious and should never have been leaked. Makes this look like a shitty private business. And we see it in how rules that apply to one team dont to another. Player power was always coming ... took 2 decades longer than it should have.

 

[Stephen]

12.95M x 6?

Makes the most in the entire league and likely 90-92% signing bonuses.

$13 million for 6 would be a dream for 99.9% of the league. Not here!

 

[TLEH]

Its rough time to sign a long term deal in general due to "large cap jumps expected". Hawks definitely got screwed at 10.5 on both Toews and Kane deals. Part of it was Toews game fell off a cliff, Kane was probably worth the dollars, but the cap never did go up to the numbers they thought it would. Hurt the team. Not as bad as the Seabrook deal, but still.

 

[KlefDown]

don't blame Matthews or the Leafs, blame the NHL

pro athletes are getting PAID in every corner of the world right now...except the poor NHL

 

[jonlin]

I`m pretty sure every other team in the league is happy with this deal! If I would be a Leaf-fan, not so much...

This year Matthews and Hintz had identical stats /min played. Hintz is locked up at 8.5M until 2031. Matthews needs 13.5M shortterm and over 14M longterm. The greediest player in the league. Well, next cup in 2065 in Toronto?

 

[SI90]

$13.5 seems good considering the cap expected to go up.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

He's 26 in a few months?
You mean closer to 30-31 no?

no after a 3 year deal takes him to 28/29 if hes currently 25 turning 26