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

[MCR74]

Bet you said the same thing after he signed his last contract 5 years ago

This delusion of a rebuilt Arizona team for Matthews and a new arena is getting old.

 

[Maplebeasts]

He basically won that Hart because of "voter fatigue". Something even a bunch of TSN media guys said was going on.

He also won the Lindsey so no this isn’t valid.

 

[Raging Bull]

I like how Leafs fans keep bringing this up like it matters.

I always said Matthews will never leave Toronto because he gets to write his own contracts and he has zero accountability to the team and he never gets held responsible by the fans. Not that there is

How do we as fans hold him accountable? Stop buying tickets? When 90% can't afford to go to a game anyways? Boo him? Complain about him on a message board? That'll show him.

 

[Maplebeasts]

5 years ago, Leaf Land was saying this...
View attachment 740945

Plus, Arizona had a arena 5 years ago.

We''ll see in five years what the future holds...still plenty of time for AZ to build a new arena. Still time for the NHL to make good on proposed Mexican expansion and bring the premier NHL Mexican citizen back to his maternal heritage homeland. In either case, Matthews returns home.

I mean we are one of maybe 5-7 teams that have a shot at winning the cup year in and year out. They haven’t won it yet but that doesn’t mean they can’t win one either. The Blues, Caps, and Lightning were all seen as perennial chokers until they weren’t. Today Matthews is extended for 4 years and will be a part of this team for the next 5. Until he decides to leave we are going all in for the cup.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

I mean we are one of maybe 5-7 teams that have a shot at winning the cup year in and year out. They haven’t won it yet but that doesn’t mean they can’t win one either. The Blues, Caps, and Lightning were all seen as perennial chokers until they weren’t. Today Matthews is extended for 4 years and will be a part of this team for the next 5. Until he decides to leave we are going all in for the cup.

They have barely made it out of the first round.
Once.
Then they were pimped-slapped, probably by a team that doesn't make your 5-7 team list...but one that does make the SC finals.

 

[HockeyVirus]

The narrative in your head perhaps.
No one suggested he wouldn’t score 30 points as a highly touted first overall pick.
Swing and a miss!

The bad part of all the migrations is many threads were lost. It absolutely was. It was a thread in the polls section, and the top answer was 30 points. It went pages and pages with usual suspects in there.

But now, the same folks claim it never happened. Long time Leaf fans of the site know.

 

[MCR74]

I mean we are one of maybe 5-7 teams that have a shot at winning the cup year in and year out. They haven’t won it yet but that doesn’t mean they can’t win one either. The Blues, Caps, and Lightning were all seen as perennial chokers until they weren’t. Today Matthews is extended for 4 years and will be a part of this team for the next 5. Until he decides to leave we are going all in for the cup.

My favorite is Arizona had an arena 5 years ago. What happened to it?

 

[Nothingbutglass]

I mean we are one of maybe 5-7 teams that have a shot at winning the cup year in and year out. They haven’t won it yet but that doesn’t mean they can’t win one either. The Blues, Caps, and Lightning were all seen as perennial chokers until they weren’t. Today Matthews is extended for 4 years and will be a part of this team for the next 5. Until he decides to leave we are going all in for the cup.

Is that really true? I mean statistically there is still room to run on failure. The Blues, Caps, Lightning were much tougher playoff teams than the Leafs.

 

[Maplebeasts]

Is that really true? I mean statistically there is still room to run on failure. The Blues, Caps, Lightning were much tougher playoff teams than the Leafs.

That's not what people were saying before their cup wins. Only the Lightning had been able to make a final beforehand but after they got swept by the Jackets everyone was blasting them as chokers.

 

[The90]

They have barely made it out of the first round.
Once.
Then they were pimped-slapped, probably by a team that doesn't make your 5-7 team list...but one that does make the SC finals.

Maybe they’ll get the pleasure of reality slapping their lucky run in the face just like it did the Habs

 

[WetcoastOrca]

That's not what people were saying before their cup wins. Only the Lightning had been able to make a final beforehand but after they got swept by the Jackets everyone was blasting them as chokers.

I agree. Tampa and Washington were viewed as chokers as they were each the top team in the league but just never got it done.
Toronto is different. A consistent top 8 team that underachieves but never viewed as the top team.

 

[Dache]

That’s good. They have missed the playoffs how many years of stuzle s ELC? Working int grest so far.


Matthews was top 2 I. Goals per game. 5th or 6th in goals and top 10 in both ppg and points during his ELC compared to all ELC players for20 years.

Stuzle is no where near that.
He also signed in the middle of the pandemic.


Matthews signed like all star players before until Mcdavid Went 8 years.

A bunch then went 8 in the middle of the pandemic when seasons were stopping and starting.

What about Eichel?

 

[Leaf Fans]

I agree. Tampa and Washington were viewed as chokers as they were each the top team in the league but just never got it done.
Toronto is different. A consistent top 8 team that underachieves but never viewed as the top team.

I think they have viewed as a top team. Maybe not by you, but certainly by players. In fact, Bertuzzi said that it was a reason that he joined the Leafs.

What about Eichel?

He is an excellent player.

 

[TS Quint]

How do we as fans hold him accountable? Stop buying tickets? When 90% can't afford to go to a game anyways? Boo him? Complain about him on a message board? That'll show him.

Start with, "he's the highest paid player on the team where did he go when we need him"? Instead of "He's the highest paid player in the league, what a deal"!

I appreciate some of the Leafs fans that have actually come here with a balanced take on the situation. Unlike the ones who have taken issue with me calling him "only" a top 5 player in the league in the regular season.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I think they have viewed as a top team. Maybe not by you, but certainly by players. In fact, Bertuzzi said that it was a reason that he joined the Leafs.


He is an excellent player.

The Leafs are not a top team in the sense of winning the Presidents Trophy or at least challenging for it like Tampa and Washington.
The Leafs are definitely a top 6-8 team most years. They should though have had at least one deep run at this point so viewed more as an underachiever.

 

[Strangle]

PP goals don’t count, no matter how consistent the contribution is to the team.

Maybe he should check the even strength goals between the two….wait McDavid had one less goal at even than Matthews had in total Last year.

Matthews has the best agent in the world to get Matthews McDavid money.

Matthews beats Mcdavid in ES goals in their career by like 20%

 

[Nothingbutglass]

Matthews beats Mcdavid in ES goals in their career by like 20%

And this means what to you? Matthews is 20% better than McDavid or should be paid 20% more?

 

[Three On Zero]

This is why the man got what he got

 

[HairyKneel]

I agree. Tampa and Washington were viewed as chokers as they were each the top team in the league but just never got it done.
Toronto is different. A consistent top 8 team that underachieves but never viewed as the top team.

And the Leafs are butter soft. Stamkos beat the hell out of the Pigman even though Auston is 40 pounds heavier. They won’t win until they get a couple of heavier players that will push back. Their best players have a river of piss running down their legs when things get a bit hairy. A person can’t just grow a heart or a set of testicles.

 

[Maplebeasts]

And the Leafs are butter soft. Stamkos beat the hell out of the Pigman even though Auston is 40 pounds heavier. They won’t win until they get a couple of heavier players that will push back. Their best players have a river of piss running down their legs when things get a bit hairy. A person can’t just grow a heart or a set of testicles.

And they lost the series, partly because Stamkos was invisible and Matthews wasn't.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Why we comparing him to Eichel ? The difference between Matthews and Eichel is about as large as the chasm between Matthews and Mcdavid ( whole other tiers, all 3 ) .

Correct, Matthews should not be compared to Eichel. Eichel has proven he is a winner, he has won a cup in his first playoffs while leading his team in scoring with 26 points in their Cup run, he already is just 18 pts behind Matthews lacklustre career 44 career playoff points in 50 . And before I hear that Eichel played on a stacked team, that stacked team missed the playoffs only a year ago, while Matthews was playing on a Leafs team that was seting regular season points records. He also has played with arguably just as strong a supporting cast of Marner, Nylander, O'Reilly, Hyman, Kadri, Tavares, Rielly, Muzzin, Brodie, ect...during his career. Inventing excuses to find reasons to justify Matthews being paid virtually on par with McDavid when you factor in 13.64 x 5 + 13.25 x 3(4)) = 12.30 Cap hit during McDavid's 12.5 x 8 duration is inexcusable the way I see it. The facts are Matthews and his agent were clinical in negotiations, taking every last cent from the a franchise(the Leafs), no long term commitment, no team discount, from the optics of his last 2 deals, it is money first, money second, team third. Let's see if he can improve on this record. The bottom is all that matters.

Eichel first playoffs, 22 GP, 26 points, won a Stanley Cup.
McDavid 49GP, 75 points. 4 playoff series wins, 1 Conference final.
Mackinnon 77GP, 100 points, Stanley Cup
Draisaitl 49GP, 77 points 4 playoff series wins, 1 Conference final.
Matthews 50GP, 44 points, 1 series win

 

[OilersFanatics505]

The bad part of all the migrations is many threads were lost. It absolutely was. It was a thread in the polls section, and the top answer was 30 points. It went pages and pages with usual suspects in there.

But now, the same folks claim it never happened. Long time Leaf fans of the site know.

Funny how you can make a claim but you cant prove it. Makes you almost trustworthy... almost...

 

[Seras]

Everyone I know tries to get paid as much as they possibly can, everyone should.

This is a cap and league issue, not a player issue.

 

[nhlfan9191]

Maybe they’ll get the pleasure of reality slapping their lucky run in the face just like it did the Habs.

It takes more then just luck to win multiple 7 game series to go on a run. Even the worst teams that have went deep in the playoffs have had qualities to their team that helped them win important games. Something the Leafs have lacked longer then most of their fans have been watching hockey.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

And they lost the series, partly because Stamkos was invisible and Matthews wasn't.

Honestly the major reason Tampa lost that series isn't because Stamkos was invisible, although he was.

But the #1 reason is Vasi played the worst hockey of his entire career, not just playoff career either, his entire career.