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

[TheKrebsCycle]

Appreciate MacKinnon will only carry the mantle for one season of highest cap hit.

Holding it temporarily before Drai and Mcdavid smash through it .

 

[3ladesof5teel]

What if dare I say... he is not generationnal and not worth that much when people realise that he peaked fron 23 to 28.

That's your opinion and perfectly fine to think that . I personally feel he will be productive at a top level well into his 30s

 

[I Hate Philadelphia]

$53,000,000 on this contract, Ill bet he maintains his value to his next 4 year contract so add $60,321,400 based on a $3m average increase in cap. That's $113,321,400 over 8 years making a 16.38% cap hit Vs. McDavid's 16.67%. That's not good but honestly better than I thought. I though he would come in above McDavid.

The fact that he's even that close to McDavid $$ wise is laughable.

 

[authentic]

Top 6-7 is arguable, heading into next year. Top 3 is a very tough case to make. Impossible, really, after last season. He was 22nd in league scoring and flamed out in the playoffs.

He could vault himself into that discussion again if he scores 50+ and gets to the ECF. We'll see if he does it.

If by flamed out in the playoffs you mean had a point in every single game until the last 3 after hurting his hand in game against Florida then sure. He basically won that series for us against Tampa.

 

[Clark4Ever]

lmao this dude is just gonna bleed the Maple Leafs dry with a new "biggest salary" contract every 4 years? That's hilarious.

If it was up to me, I wouldn't play this game next time around when Matthews is 31 years old. His durability has been questionable, and I wouldn't want to be the team that overpays for him in his declining years.

 

[Strangle]

Mackinnon is closer to McDavid than Matthews is to Mackinnon. Terrible take.

This is such a terrible take

 

[cyris]

Those weren’t sign and trades, they were trades and signs, big difference. Opposites actually lol.

Alas you are right. Let the public shaming begin

 

[DJJones]

This is such a terrible take

Plenty of people have MacKinnon over Matthews.

Either way McDavid is thrilled by this. Could end up at 16

 

[Enniskillen]

As a Leafs fan this deal sucks. Matthews is never about winning, just more money for muchacho.

 

[authentic]

I'd blame Shanahan much more than Treliving, for sure. Treliving had no choice.

Shanahan is at fault even more than Dubas.



Sure, and like I said, if it does prove to be an outlier, he'll be in that conversation again.

Right now, he isn't. There are a lot of great players in the league. It's impossible to make a case for Matthews being better than McDavid, Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Makar, etc. right now. Unless you're the biggest homer.

That could change if he puts up 50-55+ again. Even better if he puts the team on his back in the playoffs. But he has to do it.

Who knows who'll be a "top 3 player" after next season. For all we know, it could be McDavid at #1, Hughes at #2 and Bedard at #3. Didn't Gretzky already say Hughes is #2 in his mind?

If Matthews is healthy again then a 60 goals 100+ point two-way center is the 2nd best player in the world

 

[NYVanfan]

For ppl expecting the cap to be $100M in a few years — may i ask what you expect will be driving this? I mean Gary proclivities are one thing, but you generally need revenues to back these figures up….

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Soooooooo I guess everyone was wrong about Arizona. oh wait let me guess Arizona for sure in 5 years?

 

[Ghost of Jody Hull]

If by flamed out in the playoffs you mean had a point in every single game until the last 3 after hurting his hand in game against Florida then sure. He basically won that series for us against Tampa.

Winning 5 games in the playoffs after finishing with 111 points in the thick of your team's "window" is flaming out, yes.

And 0G 2P in 5GP against Florida is flaming out to the extreme, for an individual player.

 

[mkatcherin00]

Looks like kypreos was bang on. Had the salary. They were haggling over term.

 

[Three On Zero]

Ha ha. More than likely he gets max bonus every July and NMC every year.

And?

 

[Strangle]

Matthews is smilling like a butcher's dog all the way to the bank!! The fact that he's the top payed player in the league is just funny!! What has he accomplish to be the top payed player in the NHL??? Now how much is McDavid worth in is next contract, he's gonna broke the bank!!!

McDavid has always, and will continue to be, worth the max

 

[Clark4Ever]

Matthews is smilling like a butcher's dog all the way to the bank!! The fact that he's the top payed player in the league is just funny!! What has he accomplish to be the top payed player in the NHL??? Now how much is McDavid worth in is next contract, he's gonna broke the bank!!!

The NHLPA loves Matthews...I mean Dubas.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

The AAV is whatever. I’d be angry at the term though, if I were a Leafs fan. Especially if Marner signs for roughly the same again.

 

[Strangle]

Plenty of people have MacKinnon over Matthews.

Either way McDavid is thrilled by this. Could end up at 16

You can say Mack is better than matthews and there could be a discussion there.

But Matthews and Mackinnon are a lot closer to each other than ANYONE in the league is close to McDavid.

And if you read what I was replying to and ignored that part (you know, the only point of a single sentence post), then you’re just arguing for the sake of arguing

 

[Ghost of Jody Hull]

If Matthews is healthy again then a 60 goals 100+ point two-way center is the 2nd best player in the world

Sure, maybe. Depending on what other players do. Maybe Draisaitl scores 140 and wins the Conn Smythe.

But Matthews has only done that once in 7 seasons. He wasn't close last year.

So if he does it next year, you can have the conversation. You can't right now.

The Leafs are really hoping he splits the difference between last year and 21-22.

If he plays like he did in 21-22 it's a fair deal.
If he plays like he did in 22-23 it's a bad deal.
If he plays in between (i.e. 48 goals and 95 points) it's a slight overpayment but you can easily live with it.

In any scenario, though, the playoffs have to be a whole lot better. If the Leafs don't get to a cup final in the next 4 seasons, the Matthews era will have to be viewed as nothing short of a huge disappointment.

 

[Fordy]

Gets him for his prime years ( 26 to 31 ) while mitigating the risk of an at times injury prone player

yeeeeah no i don’t even buy that you believe that

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

Four years right in time for a new arena to be built in Arizona!

It’s 5 years and Zona will be lucky to still exist then …

 

[Divine]

The fact that he's even that close to McDavid $$ wise is laughable.

That makes no sense, McDavid signed after 127 NHL games, not as a UFA. MacK makes more than McDavid too.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Cup window has officially closed.

 

[RomanianLeafs]

Haters can say whatever they wan a say but he was the best player in the league 2 seasons ago and he is the best scorer in the league since Ovechkin...but i promise u he is going to Arizona after this hehe