The Toronto Maple Leafs have settled a big — and expensive — case: the contract extension of their franchise player Auston Matthews. The latter signed a new contract on Wednesday for 4 years and… 53 million.
The deal is therefore worth an average annual value of $13.25 million, which will make Matthews the highest-paid player in the league starting in the 2024-25 season, ahead of Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million. and Connor McDavid’s 12.5 million.
Matthews said on X that he feels “lucky to continue this journey as a member of the Maple Leafs and in front of the best fans in hockey.” He also pledged to “do everything to get the team to the top of the mountain.”
Matthews has just one season remaining on his current contract — a five-year, $58.2 million pact signed in February 2019 — which could have taken him to full freelance next summer.
The 25-year-old from Scottsdale, Ariz., had a slight slump in 2022-23 but still found the back of the net 40 times and tallied 85 points in 74 games.
Matthews added five goals and six assists in 11 playoff games, helping Toronto beat Tampa Bay in six games in the first round and advance to the second round for the first time since 2004.
Matthews has 299 goals and 243 assists in 481 career games. He added 44 points (22-22) in 50 playoff games.
The future of the Leafs’ best player has dominated social media and Toronto sports forums since the end of the season. Matthews saw his no-move clause take effect July 1, giving him significant control over his future in contract negotiations.
Another problem was the uncertainty within Leafs management — and behind the bench.
The team fired general manager Kyle Dubas — the man responsible for signing Matthews and the team’s other star forwards, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander — after a few days of bizarre intrigue. He was replaced by former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving.
Coach Sheldon Keefe, meanwhile, languished for a long time with one year left on his contract, before Treliving confirmed in June that the 42-year-old would be back, but without a contract extension. CONTRACT.
The Dubas era was often criticized as nearly 50% of the payroll was spent on four forwards, resulting in little playoff success. Tavares ($11 million a year) and Marner ($10.9 million a year) have two years left on their contracts. Nylander is entering the final year of his current contract, which carries an annual salary of nearly $7 million.
