Talks heating up over Matthews
Deal with Maple Leafs could come as early as this week, report says
Auston Matthews’ latest comments about his contract situation sound like good news for the Maple Leafs and their fans.
In the wake of Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada report that Matthews — who is in the last season of his entry-level deal — and Leafs management are making progress and exchanging numbers, the star centre said his focus is on keeping the core of the lineup together for several more years.
After Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Scotiabank Arena, the 21-year-old all-star said he was confident that his negotiating team will “find something that works,” with the sides expected to meet again in Toronto this week.
One significant factor is that star winger Mitch Marner is also due for a huge new deal. Marner’s camp, however, has reportedly said it doesn’t want to negotiate until after the season.
“Try to find something that works for both sides and obviously helps us out with that whole situation,” Matthews said. “I’ll leave it to them and just continue to play hockey … when it’s done, it’s done. That’ll be it.”
The Hockey Night report suggested that a Matthews deal could be done before the Feb. 26 trade deadline, maybe even this week. Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said last month that he was looking at the same time frame, eager to avoid a repeat of the prolonged negotiations with winger William Nylander that took months.
Matthews and the Leafs are reportedly looking at five-year and six-year options, with the centre making $11 million (all dollars U.S.) per season if it’s five years, $12 million if it’s six. If they end up agreeing to either of those, the figures could pay off for both sides.
Under those terms, Matthews would have another shot at a monster deal as an unrestricted free agent in his prime, at a time when the NHL salary cap will be higher than the current $79.5 million.
As far as comparables go around the league, though, it would fall short in total dollars behind other star centres such as Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (eight years, $100 million) and Buffalo’s Jack Eichel (eight years, $80 million). And while neither Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, nor Dubas has ever spoken publicly about dollar figures, there was a sense that the Matthews camp was looking to raise the bar.
The speculation at the outset was that Matthews could command as much as McDavid, maybe more, based on his early production and potential to score 40-plus goals for years to come. McDavid, though, is still seen as the best player in the game, and the fact that his contract represents the high-water mark adds up.
No player can earn more than 20 per cent of the cap in the NHL — this year, that’s would be $15.9 million. By comparison, the ceiling in other pro sports with salary caps is as high as $40 million.
As Matthews said, though, the talks are about more than his future.
Inking Marner for the long term as well would help cement the Leafs’ ability to compete for the Stanley Cup for years to come. Young wingers Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson will also need new deals soon. And defenceman Jake Gardiner becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer.