The Harsh Reality of Auston Matthews' Character Emerges After Major Revelation
Auston Matthews' character and priorities have come into question after a major revelation shows he's doing the opposite of what a champion does.
Major Matthews Revelation
Recently, a fan compared Auston Matthews and his mentality on hockey to Nathan MacKinnon and his mentality on hockey.
Playoff production:
Matthews
50GP
22 goals
22 assists
Zero +/-
7 handshake lines
MacKinnon
77GP
44 goals
56 assists
+34
1 Stanley Cup
Matthews and MacKinnon are the two top earners in the NHL yet it seems like there is one major difference between the two.
The BIG Difference
While Matthews and MacKinnon are currently the highest-paid players in the NHL, we need to look back at their previous contracts to see the difference.
Matthews' previous deal was worth $11.6 million which was insane considering how it was only for five years. MacKinnon on the other hand was at a modest $6.3 million for seven years. With MacKinnon making just over half of what Matthews was making on their previous deals, it puts a lot into perspective of how the teams were built.
Toronto's other star players saw Matthews get his payday and started to ask for more, establishing a culture of greed. This is why we have seen Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews be the only players to sign deals worth 8 figures per year under 7 years.
Now look at Colorado. While MacKinnon is currently making the 2nd most out of any NHLer, they have no other player over $10 million. That includes Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog who all could have potentially gotten deals north of eight figures if MacKinnon established a precedent of big money.
When the best player on a team is making less than 4-5 other players, those 4-5 players making more than him are going to be more reluctant to ask for more money knowing that they are being greedy and the number one player in the locker room was not.
The same thing can be seen in a team like Edmonton. While Connor McDavid and the Oilers have not won a cup yet, they have incredibly high odds and are most likely going to win one before the Leafs do. McDavid and Draisaitl make a combined $21 million while Matthews and Marner will make a combined $24 million.
There is an argument to be had that Draisaitl is better than Matthews so the concept of two of the best players in the NHL making less than Toronto's stars seems simply ludicrous.
It all boils down to culture and Nathan MacKinnon built a winning culture in Colorado that had him rewarded with a cup while Matthews built a culture of greed that will likely end in pain.
As seen on Habs Fanatics - Major Revelation Shows Why Auston Matthews Will Never Win A Cup
| POLL | ||
Will Colorado win another cup within the next 3 years? | ||
| Yes | 326 | 30.1 % |
| No | 756 | 69.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
