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

[Roo]

So you are calling Treliving stupid because he wanted more years and also Matthews agent is stupid because he wanted less years. That's some 4D chess you're playing here.

This has nothing to do with stupidity. Its preference. Some fans are acting like this is some kind of travesty. I literally said in my post that its completely fair for some to want more term, but there is nothing wrong with four years. Thats a five year window with Auston in is prime. Long term deals dont always age well, there is nothing wrong with paying for certainty.

 

[Roo]

Shorter term is not better for the team. Remember that it was the Leafs that pushed for 8 years on the deal and Matthews wanted 3. Are you saying the ultimate you'd want is just one year deals every year?

Longer term favors the team because of the back half of the contract. When guys like Crosby, Ovechkin etc signed expensive deals their teams suffered for a while but then contended again as the cap percentage came down in the late years of the deal. Matthews cut out the bargain years from his deal.

It also adds the ultimate positive quality: stability. The team has an easier time building something if they know their 1C is guaranteed to be there. More players will be willing to waive their NTCs and sign as UFAs if they know for sure that the team won't fall apart soon. Just like how the team wanted Matthews for 8 years they'd want that for Marner and Nylander too but now the odds of that have gone down

Hes going to be around the next 5 years, thats plenty of stability. You need to focus on this window, not the back half of the contract. Would i of liked to have had him a couple more years? Sure, but I am not really seeing a problem with the current deal.

 

[TotalHomer]

Hes going to be around the next 5 years, thats plenty of stability. You need to focus on this window, not the back half of the contract. Would i of liked to have had him a couple more years? Sure, but I am not really seeing a problem with the current deal.

He's in it for the money, like he was with the previous contract. Looking forward to seeing him the playoffs again.

 

[leafsfan2point0]

Just so the haters are reminded - He’s under leafs control for the next 5 years throughout his prime.

 

[Mr Positive]

He's in it for the money, like he was with the previous contract. Looking forward to seeing him the playoffs again.

Even if he is in it for the money the big difference is like 1 million AAV in the fight for a cup, Matthews' contract is small potatoes.

 

[Sol]

Really think this contract is best for AM but the contract is shitty for the leafs. Expensive contract for an underwhelming player.

 

[jonlin]

Ok. This thread shows clearly how delusional some fans of Matthews are. We all know he is a top-scorer in the league, but he isnt a playoff-contributor. Matthews has taken 2x max-money already and his fans thinks thats good for the Leafs? His first RFA-contract already was an overpayment and too short when we look at other RFA-contracts, then he wants even more money on his next 4yr deal... That is BAD for the team and it limits Leafs chances to win a cup. It also sets the bar higher for Marner`s and Nylander`s extension and guts the team. How delusional can ppl be to not understand this? It`s money over success. I`d be pissed if I were a fan of Toronto Maple Leafs. I really value the player, but he isnt dooing the team any favours...

 

[bert]

Murray is injured. That is why he is on LTIR. Matthews sighed for 4 more tears. Those are facts. Why can't you accept this reality?

Murray is not injured he was given the option to ltir or be bought out. Matthews signed for max money for 4 years paying him substantially more for half the term than a better player Nathan Mackinnon. The reality is its a bad deal relative to comparables. These are the facts. One worked out for the leafs compared to the norm in Murray and one situation the Matthews one is not ideal but necessary because the leafs gave in on his first contract for absolutely no reason giving matthews all the leverage. He had them over a barrel and he used it. He did the opposite of signing a team friendly deal. Matthews clearly does not care about winning. Both of those situations are the reality. Maybe some day you'll embrace it.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Murray is not injured he was given the option to ltir or be bought out. Matthews signed for max money for 4 years paying him substantially more for half the term than a better player Nathan Mackinnon. The reality is its a bad deal relative to comparables. These are the facts. One worked out for the leafs compared to the norm in Murray and one situation the Matthews one is not ideal but necessary because the leafs gave in on his first contract for absolutely no reason giving matthews all the leverage. He had them over a barrel and he used it. He did the opposite of signing a team friendly deal. Matthews clearly does not care about winning. Both of those situations are the reality. Maybe some day you'll embrace it.

No, he is injured. Teams and players don't get an option. Max salary for 23/24 is 20% of the cap or $16.7 million the cap and the max dollars haven't been set for 24/25 though 20% will still most likely be the max. So you lied about that. Better player is opinion. I always embrace reality, but I reject made up BS like you are attempting to peddle - poorly at that.

 

[AvroArrow]

It's been almost a week and people who swear they don't care about the Leafs are still in here whining about the Leafs lol

Even if he is in it for the money the big difference is like 1 million AAV in the fight for a cup, Matthews' contract is small potatoes.

It's even less, it's like a 600K difference lol. Like Mackinnon at 12.6 isn't a selfish contract that cripples his teams chances, but Matthews! 600K more and they have no chance. No chance of having players on ELC's like, Knies make a major impact, no chance of signing other good players like Bunting that can make an impact.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

If I am a Leafs fan, which I am not. I have to wonder what it is with Matthews reluctance to commit to the Leafs long term. While other star RFA's are signing for max term. Matthews is not. 2 contracts in a row, top 1% high cap hit in the league, only 5 and 4 years commitment. Which speaks volumes to how this guy thinks. He is not all in, only half in for the payday. Which is not coincidental to his completely underwhelming playoff career thus far. Half in. This contract was not the greatest example to his teammates. If he was all in to be a Leaf and win a cup there, he would show it by taking a team discount and signing for max term. He's a great regular season goal scorer, but beloved player that wears his heart on his sleeve. Never.

 

[BrawlFan]

It’s not a bad contract and I hate the leafs. I’d prefer to have the option at 31 to see how the player and my team is performing before I commit to 36.

Where it is bad is that it should solidify that both Nylander and Marner are going to want raises on their current deals. So hypothetically let’s say they sign for:

Nylander: 9.5
Marner: 13

I don’t think those numbers are unreasonable.

So you have 36M tied up on three players. *with the cap going up* I get it.

That’s three players who don’t score in the playoffs. Meaning what? You need insulation. And for insulation you need money.

60M for 20 more players. Reilly eats 8M of that. 52M for 19 players.

All it does is handicap the team much like they have been handicapped with the “core 4”.

So the only drawback obviously is that it’s the same formula hoping for different results.

Not that unheard of. Tampa tinkered until they figured it out. Carolina is in a similar boat. Teams that don’t want to change their approach.

Me personally, I’m not a fan of matthews. So for me signing him to a deal wouldn’t work. But trading him would signal a rebuild. Difficult position. So I can see why the leafs signed him. They’re lucky their a destination city for players as they don’t suffer the same pain as smaller market teams do when it comes to star players committing.

Now all this changes if a premiere defenceman is brought in or drafted. Even better if one with term is brought in and one of the new core 3 is traded. Spreading the money is key to winning.

Not to beat my chest but I still can’t believe they didn’t trade for chych. Before his trade he was a top pair according to HF and now I believe most would say he is a top 4. Plus he has gotten team Canada consideration before. I believe he should have been traded for instead of McCabe or oreilly but I digress.

For the leafs they are going to be a good team again. Boucher led a sens team to 2017 conf final and we could have won the cup if it weren’t for Chris Kunitz. Nashville looked beatable. The leafs D is atrocious but they have always played good team D. And although I don’t believe Bertuzzi or Domi are all that good or are the kind of toughness they need I’d say most teams aren’t that tough. Ottawa for example I feel needs to be tougher as well.

Sink or swim with AM, MM, WN is the only downside as thus far they sink

 

[jonlin]

It's been almost a week and people who swear they don't care about the Leafs are still in here whining about the Leafs lol


It's even less, it's like a 600K difference lol. Like Mackinnon at 12.6 isn't a selfish contract that cripples his teams chances, but Matthews! 600K more and they have no chance. No chance of having players on ELC's like, Knies make a major impact, no chance of signing other good players like Bunting that can make an impact.

How delusional can a person be? Matthews 5yrs x 11.6M vs McKinnons 7yrs x 6,3M, then Matthews blackmail Leafs for 4 x 13,5M when MacKinnon takes 8 x 12,6M . Which contract is teamfriendlier and which player contributes more in the playoffs? You guys are hilarious! It`s a fact that a lower contract for a player of the same caliber is better for the team and that a longer contract 99% of the time also is. Not in Leaf-land obviously... Hurray for your cups!

 

[Leaf Fans]

How delusional can a person be? Matthews 5yrs x 11.6M vs McKinnons 7yrs x 6,3M, then Matthews blackmail Leafs for 4 x 13,5M when MacKinnon takes 8 x 12,6M . Which contract is teamfriendlier and which player contributes more in the playoffs? You guys are hilarious! It`s a fact that a lower contract for a player of the same caliber is better for the team and that a longer contract 99% of the time also is. Not in Leaf-land obviously... Hurray for your cups!

We do have 13 of them, but we haven't won since 1967. All of our hurrays have been used up. Hopefully there is one in our near future.

 

[jonlin]

Fun fact when I hear theese "possession metrics", "defensive awareness" and G/60:


C Roope Hintz 8.45M until 2031

73gp 37g 38a 75p toi 17,33min/gp playoffs 19gp 10g 14a 24p

G/60 1.7 A/60 1.8 oiGF 5.8 oiGA 2.5 CF/60 73.7



C Auston Matthews 13.5M extended until 2028

74gp 40g 45a 85p toi 20.17min/gp playoffs 11gp 5g 6a 11p

G/60 1.6 GA/60 1.8 oiGF 5.5 oiGA 2.2 CF/60 73.7


Looks like the completely same player statwise? The only thing is that Hintz play almost 3min/gp less and also shorthanded... oooh, and Matthews has 5M more on pay for 4 less yrs? stats/60 are almost identical. Playoffs not so much...

 

[Peasy]

Fun fact when I hear theese "possession metrics", "defensive awareness" and G/60:


C Roope Hintz 8.45M until 2031

73gp 37g 38a 75p toi 17,33min/gp playoffs 19gp 10g 14a 24p

G/60 1.7 A/60 1.8 oiGF 5.8 oiGA 2.5 CF/60 73.7



C Auston Matthews 13.5M extended until 2028

74gp 40g 45a 85p toi 20.17min/gp playoffs 11gp 5g 6a 11p

G/60 1.6 GA/60 1.8 oiGF 5.5 oiGA 2.2 CF/60 73.7


Looks like the completely same player statwise? The only thing is that Hintz play almost 3min/gp less and also shorthanded... oooh, and Matthews has 5M more on pay for 4 less yrs? stats/60 are almost identical. Playoffs not so much...

Yes it always makes the most sense to compare players between a single year.

Karlsson is better than Makar right now didnt you know?

 

[Leaf Fans]

Fun fact when I hear theese "possession metrics", "defensive awareness" and G/60:


C Roope Hintz 8.45M until 2031

73gp 37g 38a 75p toi 17,33min/gp playoffs 19gp 10g 14a 24p

G/60 1.7 A/60 1.8 oiGF 5.8 oiGA 2.5 CF/60 73.7



C Auston Matthews 13.5M extended until 2028

74gp 40g 45a 85p toi 20.17min/gp playoffs 11gp 5g 6a 11p

G/60 1.6 GA/60 1.8 oiGF 5.5 oiGA 2.2 CF/60 73.7


Looks like the completely same player statwise? The only thing is that Hintz play almost 3min/gp less and also shorthanded... oooh, and Matthews has 5M more on pay for 4 less yrs? stats/60 are almost identical. Playoffs not so much...

Not really though they had a similar season last year.
Matthews has 542 in 481 including 299 goals while Hintz has 245 points in 312 games. In the playoffs Matthews has 44 points including 22 goals in 50 games while Hintz has 49 points in 63 games.

 

[bert]

No, he is injured. Teams and players don't get an option. Max salary for 23/24 is 20% of the cap or $16.7 million the cap and the max dollars haven't been set for 24/25 though 20% will still most likely be the max. So you lied about that. Better player is opinion. I always embrace reality, but I reject made up BS like you are attempting to peddle - poorly at that.

You're in denial.

 

[jonlin]

Not really though they had a similar season last year.
Matthews has 542 in 481 including 299 goals while Hintz has 245 points in 312 games. In the playoffs Matthews has 44 points including 22 goals in 50 games while Hintz has 49 points in 63 games.

I was in the belief that teams pay for the future and usually value "now"? I doubt that some team is willing to pay James Neal and Milan Lucic for former performances?

 

[Leaf Fans]

You're in denial.

I deny your made up nonsense that you attempted to pass off as facts.

 

[bert]

I deny your made up nonsense that you attempted to pass off as facts.

Murray was healthy at the end of the season and dressed in the playoffs had 4 months to get better since then. He magically got injured the day when he had the choice to take home 8 million instead of 6 because the leafs had a buy out window.

Matthews just signed for substantially more money then Pasternak and Mackinnon for half the term. This is after both players had way better seasons. It's debatable if Matthews is better than Pasternak sure. There is no one in their right mind who takes Matthews over Mackinnon.

Which part in here is false exactly?

What I don't understand is why so many leaf fans can't come to terms with these realities. They essentially saved the extra money they gave out to matthews over the next two seasons. It came out as a wash. You win some you lose some. I don't think the majority of other fan bases would have a hard time accepting this. But with the Toronto Maple Leafs well they can't do any wrong or in this case right and wrong. As they used their financial flexibility to their advantage with the Murray situation.

 

[Leaf Fans]

I was in the belief that teams pay for the future and usually value "now"? I doubt that some team is willing to pay James Neal and Milan Lucic for former performances?

No, it is clear that they wouldn't - teams didn’t. Luccic signed with Boston 1M cap hit 1.5 M salary. James Neal hasn't signed a contract yet. They are 35 years old. I am sure Dallas expects a 35 - 40 goal scorer anf Toronto expects a star player.

 

[BlueBaron]

I'm sure the Coyotes will gladly pay his $20M ask when the time comes.

Lol. Time to pack this nonsense up. He's not going to Arizona. You need a new agenda. This is beyond desperate.

 

[AvroArrow]

How delusional can a person be? Matthews 5yrs x 11.6M vs McKinnons 7yrs x 6,3M, then Matthews blackmail Leafs for 4 x 13,5M when MacKinnon takes 8 x 12,6M . Which contract is teamfriendlier and which player contributes more in the playoffs? You guys are hilarious! It`s a fact that a lower contract for a player of the same caliber is better for the team and that a longer contract 99% of the time also is. Not in Leaf-land obviously... Hurray for your cups!

Rent free

 

[Leaf Fans]

Murray was healthy at the end of the season and dressed in the playoffs had 4 months to get better since then. He magically got injured the day when he had the choice to take home 8 million instead of 6 because the leafs had a buy out window.

Matthews just signed for substantially more money then Pasternak and Mackinnon for half the term. This is after both players had way better seasons. It's debatable if Matthews is better than Pasternak sure. There is no one in their right mind who takes Matthews over Mackinnon.

Which part in here is false exactly?

What I don't understand is why so many leaf fans can't come to terms with these realities. They essentially saved the extra money they gave out to matthews over the next two seasons. It came out as a wash. You win some you lose some. I don't think the majority of other fan bases would have a hard time accepting this. But with the Toronto Maple Leafs well they can't do any wrong or in this case right and wrong. As they used their financial flexibility to their advantage with the Murray situation.

Which part in here is false exactly:

"Matthews signed for max money" Max money is 20% of thd cap (16.5 million cap hit next year. The cap is not yet set for the Matthews contract year.
"He magically got injured the day when he had the choice to take home 8 million instead of 6 because the leafs had a buy out window."
This is you making things up. The team announced the LTIR just before the buyout window. There is no information on when he got the injury. Besides, a team cannot put a non injured player on LTIR.
There is no one in their right mind who takes Matthews over Mackinnon.
That is opinion.

What I don't understand is why so many leaf fans can't come to terms with these realities.
They are not realities.

Substantial is subjective 600,000 is not a lot in the NHL.
Those are some of the things that are false.

Or when he used to post under a different identity for years on the leafs board (interactif)

Or when he became the biggest Islanders fan because Lou went there after the Leafs let him go.

We know TWS isnt a leaf fan, he doesnt have to tell us twice.

TWS was always a fan of Barzal even as interactif.