Star center Auston Matthews has always been at the center of attention. With his contract expiring in 2024, the attention still has not moved.
The Leafs need to get a contract signed very soon or Matthews will have all of the leverage and historically, American stars and Canadian Markets do not mix the best. Matthews will have a full no-movement clause in his contract starting July 1st and that will give the Leafs zero control.
It is in the Leafs best interest to sign Matthews long-term as soon as possible but that is definitely not the case for Matthews. Matthews just had a very poor year by his standards (40 goals and 85 points in 74 games) and that has decreased his market value.
If the Leafs were to sign Matthews right now, they would get a fantastic price and they would secure their star for the rest of the 2020s.
If the Leafs do not resign Matthews next offseason, they will have failed in their rebuild and wasted years of top-end talent. All in all, the two parties will need to compromise to ensure Matthews is a Leaf for life, otherwise it could spell disaster.
POLL | ||
Will Auston Matthews resign? | ||
Yes | 165 | 41.8 % |
No | 230 | 58.2 % |
List of polls |