BREAKING - Insider Reveals Auston Matthews May Make NHL History With New Contract

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Sam Walker
October 7, 2022 (1:09)

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Auston Matthews, a forward born in Arizona who made his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs in October 2016, quickly made a name for himself as one of the game's elite goal scorers by tallying a career-high four goals in his first contest. Naturally, he now holds the Rocket Richard Trophy, which is "given to the player concluding the regular season as the League's goal-scoring leader." Last year, he set a record with a regular season total of 60 goals.

But Matthews' contract situation and long-term future with the Leafs are something that are now nagging on him. Matthews' current deal allows him to become an unrestricted free agency in 2024, and keeping him around would undoubtedly cost a lot of money.

If The Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli is to be believed, Matthews' next deal will not only be enormous, but it will also make him the highest-paid player in the NHL by a significant margin. He could make NHL history with this amount..

The post states:

"Move over MacKinnon. On July 1, the first day eligible, Auston Matthews will sign the NHL's first-ever max contract to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs: eight years x $16.7 million. That rounds up to $134 million, with a little flair for his jersey number. Brad Richards (2006) is the only player to sign for the maximum 20 percent of the salary cap, but it was only a five-year deal, not the maximum term."

As St. Louis Blues color commentator Darren Pang would say, "Holy Jumpin!"

With the NHL salary cap projected to rise significantly, is this a contract that would actually be able to get worked out by Leafs GM Kyle Dubas?