The Toronto Maple Leafs finally locked star forward Auston Matthews into a contract extension on Wednesday [23 August] and all involved parties should be content with the deal, including fans of the tortured franchise.
Matthews, who still has one season left on his current deal, will remain in Toronto on a four-year contract worth $13.25 million per season.
The American will receive most of his pay packet in bonus form, allowing the Maple Leafs to flex their financial clout within salary cap rules.
There has been lots of noise and conjecture in the wake of the announcement, but this is a quality deal for Matthews, who remains underpaid despite signing the sport’s most lucrative contract, and recently hired general manager Brad Treliving.
Don’t overthink this.
Why the Auston Matthews’ extension is a win-win for everyone involved:
Let’s start from the perspective of the player, who extracted most of what he wanted from the negotiations.
Matthews takes three major wins away from this deal.
Firstly, the 25-year-old netted a steamy fourteen percent pay rise to become the best-paid player in hockey.
Secondly, he steered clear of an eight-year pact, bucking the trend of franchise players in the salary cap era.
Matthews will also take satisfaction from the fact that the smoke around his future has stopped burning before the start of training camp.
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs (Image: Brian Murphy, All-Pro Reels)
With that said, the main win for the Arizona-raised forward is the length of his deal, which perfectly positions him to exploit the salary cap as it spikes after the pandemic.
By the time his next contract expires, capologists expect general managers to have at least an extra $12 million to spend on players per season.
Also of note: Connor McDavid, the world’s best player, is due an extension two seasons before Matthews, which puts him in the perfect spot to benefit from No. 97’s next inflation-busting contract.
Treliving should also be happy with the deal, not least because he avoided a repeat of his disastrous talks with former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau.
The Leafs won’t quibble about the mountain of cash they are set to pay Matthews – franchise players are expensive – and they shouldn’t be too fazed by the length of the contract.
While Treliving would have preferred to have locked his star forward in for a few more seasons, agreeing to a four-year term saved the Leafs money against the salary cap for now and will allow them to reconsider their plan once Matthews enters his 30s.
If the worst-case scenario plays out and injury derails his career, he becomes a free-agent in 2026 – which is fine insurance for Toronto.
Ultimately, though, this negotiation boils down to a simple fact.
Matthews is one of the best players in hockey and could yet become the greatest Maple Leaf of all time.
Divorce was therefore never an option for the team or player, at least not for now.
