TORONTO — When Brad Treliving was introduced as the 18th general manager in Toronto Maple Leafs history on May 31, the 53-year-old made it clear that getting Auston Matthews signed to a long-term deal was at the top of his to-do list.
“We’re talking about an elite player in the world. Getting to Auston is a priority,” he said during his introductory press conference at Scotiabank Arena.
Eighty-four days later, he proved to be true to his word.
On Wednesday, the Maple Leafs announced a four-year, $53 million contract with the franchise center, a deal that kicks in next summer and keeps him in Toronto blue and white through the 2027-28 season.
Does it come as a surprise? Absolutely not. Despite rumors that the kid who grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona would be looking for a new hockey home somewhere in the Sun Belt once his current deal expired at the end of this season, the 25-year-old made his intentions clear during locker cleanout day three months ago.
“I really do enjoy playing here… it’s a true honor,” he said at the time. “My intention is to be here. I think I’ve reciprocated that before how much I enjoy playing here and what it means to me and the organization, my teammates and how much, you know, I just enjoy being here.”
After talking the talk, Matthews walked the walk on Wednesday. In fact, he couldn’t contain his excitement, sending out a tweet expressing how stoked he was several minutes before the official email from the Maple Leafs announcing the signing.
He couldn’t wait to send the fans a message. So he scooped the Maple Leafs on the announcement.
“I feel fortunate to continue this journey as a Maple Leaf in front of the best fans in hockey! I will do everything I can to help get us to the top of the mountain. GLG! #LeafsForever,” Matthews tweeted on his account @AM34.
Video: Matthews signs a 4-year contract with Maple Leafs
There’s little doubt Matthews had to deal with a sliver of culture shock when the Maple Leafs drafted him No. 1 in the 2016 NHL Draft. The hockey fishbowl of Toronto carried the type of omnipresent spotlight he hadn’t been exposed to during his minor hockey days in Toronto, or his one-year stint with ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League A in 2015-16.
But with time has come an appreciation of how much the city and the team’s supporters love the game. Now, instead of shying away from the notoriety, he’s learned to embrace it, a change that has been evident to Maple Leafs captain John Tavares.
“His maturity and the way he’s grown since he’s been here is very impressive,” Tavares said Wednesday. “He wants to be here.”
In the end, it’s a contract that works for both sides.
When the contract begins next season, the average annual value of $13.25 million will likely make him the highest paid player in the NHL. For a kid who has scored 299 goals before his 26th birthday and won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in 2022, he’s worthy of a big pay day.
At the same time, the new contract gives him a $1.61 million annual pay raise from his current $11.64 million cap hit, which is digestible for a Maple Leafs team that knows the salary cap is expected to go up next summer.
It’s possible Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers could each top that number in their next contracts. Matthews knows that. His agent, Judd Moldaver, took over representation of McDavid this summer when his previous agent, Jeff Jackson, left to become CEO of hockey operations of the Oilers.
Matthews is well aware of the NHL’s salary landscape. And he was fine with the deal he received.
For the Maple Leafs, it doesn’t handcuff them in the environment of a soon-to-be escalating cap. Maybe their preference would have been to get more term on the deal like the eight-year contract forward Nathan MacKinnon signed with the Colorado Avalanche last summer but it’s clear both sides came to a compromise: Toronto with term, Matthews with the AAV.
Give Treliving credit here. There was plenty on his plate when he took over from Dubas, and he’s done an admirable job putting some of the pieces in place prior to the opening of training camp next month.
Matthews, who is just entering the prime of his career, as unbelievable as it might seem, has been locked up until age 30. Free agent forward adds Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves bring more sandpaper to the lineup; smooth-skating defenseman John Klingberg should help the power play, although his defensive struggles are a concern; and Martin Jones was brought in for goaltending depth behind Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll.
Of course, there remains the issue of William Nylander, whose contract, like that of Matthews before him, expires at the end of the 2023-24 season. Like Matthews, he’s expressed a desire to stay with Toronto.
“There’s no other place I want to play, but I still have one more year left,” Nylander told NHL.com’s Tom Gulliti during the European Player Media Tour in Stockholm on Wednesday. “I don’t understand why there’s such a big rush to do something right now. I still have one more year left.”
Treliving is well aware of that. And now that the Matthews contract is in the books, the focus can now turn to the 27-year-old.
All the while, Leafs Nation is breathing a sigh of relief knowing the team’s franchise center is under contract for the next half decade.