Confirmed Signing with Link: [TOR] F Auston Matthews signs extension with the Maple Leafs (4 years, $13.25M AAV)

[Dirty Dog]

Wouldn’t it make more sense to sign him for less than $13m in his 30’s after this deal is done though?

Oh yeah, AM is totally going to give Toronto a discount next time. Or the next time!

 

[TheBeastCoast]

I think the bigger worry is Marner asking for an identical deal.

Marner can get f***ed then lol

 

[Rob Brown]

I mean, you just hope that your star player with all the leverage (like all star players do) doesn’t abide the situation to this degree (like every other star player didn’t).

But not AM.

You sorta proved his point, no? It's a mix of AM expecting a lot and Dubas caving in the initial deal and giving him too much then. The raise on this one isn't even that bad, it's just that the base from the first one was too high.

 

[BKarchitect]

Good for him.

The AAV is totally fair for both sides. This is modern professional sports. The best player doesn’t always have the biggest contract or set some sort of cap. It’s nauseating seeing all the “he’s not better than McDavid or MacKinnon BS”.

The term is surprising but I’ll say again - good for AM and good for the players. Get that bag, get that flexibility. The owners can afford it. Superstars are worth every dime to a franchise. And it’s still an absolute pittance to what players in other leagues are making.

Top players make very small gains in the NHL each season lately now coming off a flat cap and traditionalists are having strokes complaining about “the cost”. Yet every year in other sports we are adding tens of millions onto contracts and fans of those leagues don’t bat an eye.

 

[Divine]

I mean, you just hope that your star player with all the leverage (like all star players do) doesn’t abide the situation to this degree (like every other star player didn’t).

But not AM.

What are you talking about?

Just like Gaudreau, Tavares, Tkachuk did right? Took team friendly deals to re-sign with the team that drafted them.

 

[surixon]

This is a risk for Mathews as well here. He's banking he's still going to be elite in 5 years time and that the cap will have risen a lot. He probably left over $50 million on the table here. We will have to see if he is able to not only make it up but exceed it on his next deal.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Elias Pettersson, please don’t get any ideas, sincerely all Canucks fans.

I'll be shocked if he comes in under 10M

 

[SomeDude]

This just proves that Matthew has no interest in winning the cup.

He’s still young enough to have plenty of years chasing a Cup after taking Toronto’s money. He’ll be 30 when this deal is over.

Heck, he could finish this deal, spend 3 years signing for below value to try to win, and come back to Toronto to pack it in and finish his career with another mega deal.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Max term is a disadvantage at 26, not an advantage. Do you think Toews was worth 10.5M last year, or the year before?

They paid more to get him at his prime before the decline. However, they shouldn't be paying for years he sucks like Chicago had to with Toews.

Hawks fans have there ears plugged with cup rings.

 

[thefutures]

Objectively a worse deal than the one dubas signed. Wonder what marner gets and what the narrative will be around good, nice guy, Brad treliving

 

[MasterofGrond]

Hockey stars are comparatively brutally underpaid. Even this is a discount.

 

[Dirty Dog]

What are you talking about?

Just like Gaudreau, Tavares, Tkachuk did right? Took team friendly deals to re-sign with the team that drafted them.

No, those players left the team. A lot of players do that. And they got major deals. A lot of players do that.


Show me a single comparable contract to this. Crushing the prior AAV high with short term to boot. Please show me this much of a player-friendly deal of a star resigning with their team. I’ll wait

 

[Dion TheFluff]

to short of term for the $ amount. Not surprising from this greedy bastard. Atleast we get to keep him through his prime years because I imagine he'll being going to Zona after this.

 

[Divine]

Hawks fans have there ears plugged with cup rings.

They didn't win any cups on the 10.5M contracts.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

Marner can get f***ed then lol

I think that'd have to be the case. I'm a huge fan of Marner, I like what he brings to the team and am more willing to overlook his flaws than a lot of Leafs fans because I think his strengths are absolutely vital to success. That being said, I don't think he's at the same level as Matthews. If he wants to get paid that kind of money, it had better be 8 years or he can kick rocks.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Hockey stars are comparatively brutally underpaid. Even this is a discount.

Not in a cap world.

 

[KCC]

I think the bigger worry is Marner asking for an identical deal.

I mean, he drives the play and makes Matthews better. When they aren't together Matthews' numbers and play really suffers. Matthews needs him. If I'm the GM you pay Marner.

 

[Flukeshot]

As a noted Leafs hated...

This deal is fine. When you look at cap growth projections, the cap may be $87M when the contract starts, which would be about 15.5%.

His current contract was about 14%.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Tough to call as a Leafs fan. I might still take Matthews for next season. But the question gets a lot more difficult when you look four years down the line and it’s a matter of, “Aho at 4x9.75 or newly extended Matthews at 4x16.5?”

Yep obviously Matthews is a better player but that contract just is not ideal for a team looking for extended window of contention. I don’t blame Matthews or any player for going after the money but most cup winning teams and especially teams with long sustained success tend to have some really team friendly contracts and less contracts like Matthews’. I will say though if I were a Leafs fan I’d much rather keep him on that contract than lose him.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Aav is fine for a top 5 player with a massive cap spike. With the remaining year on his deal this is 5 years of knowing AM34 anchors the franchise.

Maximum cap spike is 5% per year, until the MOU expires.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Marner can get f***ed then lol

Are you prepared to lose Marner for nothing? He also has a NMC and doesn't sound like he wants to be traded. So... either Toronto gives him what he wants, tries to convince to waive (and deal with whatever destination he picks, deprecating his value) or he walks for absolutely nothing in two years.

It's not Marner who's f***ed in this scenario, it's Toronto.

 

[Skolman]

Mackinnon drai kucherov equal to makar no one is better than mcdavid

So Matthews is the 2nd best player in the league in your mind, tied with Makar....?

 

[Artemi Panarin]

The term sets a terrible precedent.

 

[Dirty Dog]

You sorta proved his point, no? It's a mix of AM expecting a lot and Dubas caving in the initial deal and giving him too much then. The raise on this one isn't even that bad, it's just that the base from the first one was too high.

Im not disagreeing with his point that it’s not the Leafs’ FO fault. I actually agree with him, I don’t think the leafs could have done anything different or got a better deal. It’s just the type of guy AM is, and he took all the leverage he had and got an unprecedented deal

 

[Linds]

Aav is fine for a top 5 player with a massive cap spike. With the remaining year on his deal this is 5 years of knowing AM34 anchors the franchise.

Top 5? Yikes