While on Sportsnet 590 radio in Toronto this week, Nick Kypreos and JD Bunkis were talking about Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews, who's entering the final year of his current contract.
Matthews became eligible to sign an extension on July 1st, but there doesn't appear to be a rush on either side to get a deal done and the sense is that the Maple Leafs are confident they'll get something done with the 25-year-old.
When discussing what his next contract may look like, Kypreos said that Matthews will likely be getting $13.5 million per season, which would make him the highest-paid player in the National Hockey League.
The San Ramon, California native certainly deserves to be one of the highest-paid players in the National Hockey League, but as Kypreos pointed out, the term is a big issue. Obviously from Toronto's side, they want to sign him for eight-years and keep him around for as long as possible. But from Matthews' perspective, he probably wants to sign more of a three, four or even five-year deal and then capitalize further with the cap going up significantly in the coming years.
Matthews had a strong 2022-23 season, recording 85 points (40 goals, 45 assists), 20 penalty minutes and was a plus-31 in 74 regular season games. He followed that up with 11 points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
