Insider drops a bombshell regarding Auston Matthews' extension in Toronto

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Mike Armenti
July 19, 2023 (2:52 PM)

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One of the biggest storylines of the summer thus far has been whether or not Auston Matthews will sign an extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the 2023-24 season gets under way. The prevailing thought among most of the NHL insiders is that Matthews will indeed re-sign in Toronto, but the questions that remain are more related to what the term will be and what the AAV of the deal will be.

Naturally, nobody really knows the answers to those questions except Auston Matthews, his agent, Judd Moldaver, and perhaps Leafs GM Brad Treliving. However, Nick Kypreos reported during an appearance on the JD Bunkis Podcast on Wednesday that, if his sources are correct, he already knows what the AAV on Matthews' next deal will be.

"I don't know whether we're in a blinking contest or not between Nylander and Matthews or who needs to go first, but if I'm Auston Matthews, I'm not holding my breath on Nylander's contract getting done at all at any point this summer. So, how far does Matthews want to go into the season, now, without a contract? If it is as close as everyone is reporting - and everyone that I've talked to says it's a $13.5M AAV - then what is the term? I think for me, the biggest decision right now, which I think Auston can't decide on or they haven't made a final decision is, is how many years will what we believe is a $13.5M AAV last?"

A $13.5M AAV would mean that Matthews will come in at $1M above Edmonton Oilers captain Conner McDavid and $900K more than Colorado Avalanche alternate captain Nathan MacKinnon on his next deal, making him the highest paid player in the NHL by a significant margin. It will also prove the theories correct that Matthews is willing to take a little less to try to win in Toronto, as he would almost certainly get $14M-$15M on the open market next summer if he had decided to test free agency.