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

[gearharb]

LOVE this deal as a fan of another team in the Leafs division.

 

[shortfuze]

Sorry but 4 years for your franchise player? Yikes, this gonna age so bad.
That being said, Hey, he is a leaf for awhile, so good for the fans in the meantime

How is it going to age really bad? It’s not 8 years. And with his wrist injuries, as a fan, I’m more comfortable with shorter deals. The AAV kind of sucks though.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Matthews will be a free agent again when the cap is $100M though?

He’ll have a year left and will be asking for the most money in the league.

 

[BB88]

If I'm the Leafs I don't re-sign him unless it's a discount and/or shorter term.

It's not like Crosby got a higher cap or long term when his deal ended.

There’s not a chance in hell Leafs won’t try to re-sign him, not a chance.

 

[Nylanderthal]

Blackhawk fans thought the same thing when Toews and Kane signed eight year deals. Then OPEC flooded the market and tanked the Canadian dollar.

The cap rose 3-5% regularly until Covid. Some years more some less but always steady 3-5%. Only a global shut down will cause that again, but hey if you all need to bank on another pandemic to make this deal look bad then go ahead.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Anyone trying to defend only giving Matthews 4 years is out to lunch. Matthews is going to be an elite player well into his mid to late 30s. Not being able to get him long-term at this AAV is horrible for the Leafs.

I have to agree. I'd rather a 7 year 14 million deal then this.

 

[hullsy47]

How is it going to age really bad? It’s not 8 years. And with his wrist injuries, as a fan, I’m more comfortable with shorter deals. The AAV kind of sucks though.i

 

[TruGr1t]

Matthews will be a free agent again when the cap is $100M though?

Exactly, suspect agents are looking for shorter-term, 3-4 year deals for a lot of these younger superstars.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

All the 'Matthews is 100% going to Arizona' guys are punching air right now.

He’s just waiting 4 more years for the coyotes to have a staduim + talent around him…. Then he goes to Arizona.

 

[leafsfan5]

Oh boy, can't wait to see all of the Leafs fans turn on Treliving for losing the negotiation with Matthews like they did with Dubas.

Dubas had a lot of power negotiating with a ~PPG center who was an RFA

Treliving had little to no leverage due to a situation Dubas created

 

[Ezpz]

Gets to really cash in, in 4 years from now.

At that point he'll still be 29 or 30 so teams will still be willing to go max term, and the cap will be anywhere from $15-20M higher then it is today.

Assuming he doesn't regress hard, he signs for like 7x$18M as a UFA in 4 years on the open market probably. Or maybe stays with Toronto for like 8x$16.5M sort of thing.

He has already regressed. He is still in his prime but his peak is over. 60 ain't happening again barring some more goaltending equipment changes. This is a risky play but he probably knows there's always one or two GMs out there whose owners love star players and will pay them far above their worth as free agents.

 

[Malkinstheman]

God damn this dude has really milked every penny he could out of the Leafs lol

 

[Nylanderthal]

McDavid, Mackinnon, Draisaitl, Makar, Kucherov. Who is he better then in there?

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

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Draisaitl has probably already sent him a text and thanking him for raising the yearly cash for superstars... Drai will hit the 14+ mark next and then McDavid after that will hit the 15+

 

[hullsy47]

Basically 5 more years of mathews .u can rebuild in 3 years

 

[Mr Positive]

Curious how this effects the nylander negotiations, if at all?

Well he said plainly that he doesn't want to be the only one taking a discount so obviously he is looking at what Auston's deal is. The only question is what Nylander thinks about this deal

 

[BB88]

13.25 will be a deal when the cap is 100m

They’ll never get there with this term.

& it will never be a steal when you can look at what Barkov, Stutzle, Tkachuks, Hughes…. are making in the East.
Matthews will be the highest paid by a country mile

 

[HockeyVirus]

Two thoughts

1. I've been told since the day he was drafted on here he is leaving. Matthews will now be a leaf until he is 31. You guys were wrong and need to eat some crow on it.

2. I hate this contract. Hate it. Matthews is an unbelievable player and the best Leaf ever but I really can't stand him.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I get that Matthews will still be good and can get a retirement contract.

I get had he gone to fa he could have gotten more.

I don't know why the Leafs didn't try to get more term. I guess Matthews was dead set against that maybe?

Just a strange contract.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Exactly, suspect agents are looking for shorter-term, 3-4 year deals for a lot of these younger superstars.

What other star player has done this exactly?

 

[Ezekial]

Big gulps, eh? Welp

 

[Divine]

There’s not a chance in hell Leafs won’t try to re-sign him, not a chance.

Then it better come at a discount. Whatever, 5 years from now we'll have that debate.

However, Kane and Toews were earning 10.5M last year, neither is signed. Tavares and Karlsson can't be traded at their cap hits. Most players decline in their 30's.

The Leafs took the risk of a higher hit now, and not having a bad contract at the end of the term like other teams got stuck with.

 

[TruGr1t]

What other star player has done this exactly?

There is starting to be buzz about a shorter-term contract for Pettersson in Vancouver in a similar style to this one.

 

[MardyBum]

Thought it was going to be 3 because he had all the power, so good on the Leafs for getting 1 more I guess

 

[deleted user]

Yikes.