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Auston Matthews Signs Mega Four-Year Extension With Leafs

Trey Daubert / NHL / August 23, 2023

Auston Matthews Signs Mega Four-Year Extension With Leafs

Auston Matthews isn’t going anywhere. Leafs forever for number 34.

The Maple Leafs top line center put out this tweet today. We now understand why.

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
— Auston Matthews (@AM34) August 23, 2023

Matthews will sign a four year extension with Toronto. The AAV for the new deal comes in at $13.25 million.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report the news:

Auston Matthews 4x$13.25 extension in Toronto
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 23, 2023

Brad Trelving is starting to gain a reputation for getting these extensions done prior to the start of the season. He did the same thing with Jonathan Huberdeau a season ago in Calgary. Treliving didn’t really make any secrets about it when he took the job in Toronto. His first and most important order of business was finding a way to keep Mathews. That mission has been accomplished today.

Matthews, 25, is obviously one of the best players in the league. He’s earned this massive payday. The California native has pocketed at least 40 goals in four consecutive seasons.

Auston Matthews, signed to a 4x$13.3M extension by TOR, is an elite scoring centre who creates chances and goals at an unparalleled level at 5v5 while being effective in other areas of the game. His strength and smarts in puck battles gives him defensive upside too. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/9Cgp3yWK3u
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 23, 2023

Matthews is going to hit the market again at a relatively young age. With the cap spiking in the near future, this won’t be the last big payday the Leafs forward receives.

Regardless, this is a huge win for the Leafs. Keeping Matthews means everything for this team. It’s hard to take Toronto seriously as a contender if Matthews isn’t on the roster. Plus, keeping an American in Canada is a huge win. Something that’s been hard to do with American players wanting to return home and save significant money on taxes.

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