The Toronto Maple Leafs and former general manager Brad Treliving managed to get captain Auston Matthews to agree to a four-year, $53 million contract to remain with the club through the end of the 2027-28 NHL season.
Right now, Matthews counts $13.25 million against the salary cap as one of the highest-paid players in the NHL. Of course, depending on how he performs over the next two seasons, combined with the fact that the NHL salary cap is rising, that number could easily increase by several million dollars in his next contract.
However, in the mind of Toronto media personality Sid Seixeiro, Matthews is overpaid while also noting that he isn’t deserving of a higher rating on the recent release of EA Sports NHL 27.
“A list is circulating of the top 10 ranked centermen in this year’s edition of EA Sports NHL 27,” he said. “Auston Matthews is right below Mark Scheifele. He is 11. You could tell me Berube is at fault all day. That’s fine. The last two years, in terms of the evidence presented by Auston Matthews, tell you this is an accurate list. He is not better, in my opinion, than any of these centers.”
“Based on his statistics the last two years, he’s been overpaid,” he continued. “He’s not a 13-plus million-dollar player on the cap. How do the Leafs justify giving him $16, $17, $18 million a year? Now, if the Leafs are like, we’re keeping him no matter what — because I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, the Leafs are not good at Plan Bs, not good at contingency plans — I still believe we live in a world where Auston’s going to get exactly what he wants, and you’ve got to live with the consequences.”
Toronto Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews’ Offensive Numbers Have Dropped In Recent Seasons
Matthews is only two seasons removed from scoring a career-best 69 goals in 2023-24, which was easily the top number among all NHL goal scorers.
But since then, he’s not been as effective in the goal scoring department. In 67 games played the following season, Matthews lit the lamp a respectable 33 times – not a poor number by most players’ standards, but not up to the level that he’d set for himself. He also was limited to 67 games played.
This past season, Matthews registered 27 goals in 60 games, once again seeing a drop-off in his offensive production. Matthews has also battled various injuries and even sought treatment in Germany for his ailment.
Auston Matthews Was Injured This Past Season After A Dirty Knee-On-Knee Hit
During the second period of a game against the Anaheim Ducks on March 12, Matthews was injured after he was struck with a dirty knee-on-knee hit from Radko Gudas.
Matthews suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain and was sidelined for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Gudas, who signed a free-agent contract to return to the divisional rival Florida Panthers, was slapped with a five game suspension.
The good news for Matthews is that he’s expected to be fully healthy by the time Training Camp begins for the Maple Leafs next month.
Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Ripped As Overpaid