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Why is Auston Matthews’ contract a win for the Maple Leafs?

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Auston Matthews is now the highest paid player in the league, and it’s a win for the Leafs.

Auston Matthews will be the highest player in the league beginning in the 2024-25 season after his four-year contract extension with a $13.25 million average annual value (AAV) with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite the high price tag to re-sign Matthews, the contract is actually a win for the Maple Leafs. 

The contract runs until the end of the 2027-28 season, which coincides with widespread expectation that the salary cap will drastically increase. 

According to Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Rory Boylen, it is believed that the salary cap will rise to approximately $88 million in 2024-25 when Matthews’ contract starts, with a significant jump the following season to an estimated $92 million. 

From a financial standpoint, these projections are beneficial for the Leafs. 

As of the 2022-23 season when the salary cap was $82.5 million, Matthews’ $11.6 million cap hit took up just over 14.06 per cent of the cap. His $13.25 million AAV in 2024-25 is expected to be approximately 15 per cent of the cap, with it dropping to a fraction over 14.4 per cent the next season when the salary cap is projected to jump even more. 

This indicates that despite Matthews’ $1.65 million increase per season from his previous contract to the new one, the percentage of the cap his contract comprises will only minimally increase. 

The argument will then surround Connor McDavid:  comparisons about how Matthews will be earning more than the three-time league MVP who notched 64 goals and 153 points last season. 

When McDavid signed his massive $100 million deal over the eight years that began with the 2018-19 season, the salary cap was only $79.5 million. With his $12.5 million cap hit, the Oilers superstar possessed over 15.7 per cent of his team’s salary cap which is a higher percentage than Matthews over his first two mega contracts in the NHL. 

Matthews’ contract is in line with other NHL superstars from a percentage-based perspective and is a testament to his goal scoring abilities among the league’s best. 

The 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner leads the league in goals since the 2016-17 season. One goal shy of 300 in that span, the Leafs centre is ahead of McDavid; Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals winger with the second-most goals in NHL history; three-time 50-goal scorer Leon Draistaitl and everyone else. 

The Arizona-native led the NHL in goals throughout the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons too, including a 60-goal season two seasons ago surpassing Rick Vaive’s 54-goal campaign in 1981-82 for most goals in a season in Maple Leafs history. 

There is no denying that Matthews is a cornerstone of the Leafs’ franchise.  

Keeping him for another four seasons following the upcoming season with his new deal would make it 12 seasons in the blue and white and is another win for the Leafs since they are able to keep their own first-overall draft pick for that length of time. 

More years of Matthews in Toronto also benefits Maple Leaf Sport & Entertainment, the organization that owns the Leafs, from a business perspective. 

Walking around the city, people of all ages dawn the Matthews #34 jersey. 

According to Sport Business Journal, he ranked fifth in jersey sales during the 2022-23 regular season and first in jersey sales in the first round of the playoffs showcasing the value he brings to the organization both on and off the ice. 

Matthews and the Maple Leafs begin the 2023-24 season on Wednesday, Oct. 11 against the Montreal Canadiens. The entire Leafs schedule can be found here. 

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