Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs Agree to 4-Year, $53M Contract Extension; NHL’s Top AAV

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Six-time All-Star Auston Matthews has agreed to a contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The team announced the extension is for four years.

Matthews sent a message to fans on social media after the deal was announced:

Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and NHL Network, the total value of Matthews’ new four-year deal is $53 million ($13.25 million per season).

The extension makes Matthews the league’s highest-paid player by average annual salary:

Matthews was entering the final season of his five-year, $58.2 million contract that was signed in February 2019. He is set to earn $750,000 in base salary during the 2023-24 campaign, but he will also make $7.2 million through his signing bonus.

This extension keeps Matthews under contract to the Maple Leafs through 2027-28, but it also allows him to potentially hit free agency at the age of 30.

The Maple Leafs selected Matthews No. 1 overall in the 2016 NHL draft. He signed a three-year entry level contract with the team and appeared in all 82 games as a rookie.

Matthews became the first Toronto player to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie since Brit Selby in 1965-66. He finished his debut season with 40 goals and 29 assists.

The California native has since established himself as one of the best offensive players in the NHL. He led the league in goals scored in back-to-back seasons in 2020-21 (41) and 2021-22 (60).

Matthews set a career-high with 106 points during the 2021-22 season. He had his fourth consecutive 40-goal season in 2022-23.

Toronto has made the playoffs in each of Matthews’ first seven seasons, but the team hasn’t advanced beyond the second round. The franchise’s two best seasons by regular-season point totals have come in each of the past two seasons (115 in 2021-22 and 111 in 2022-23).