Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews on potential extension: 'I love playing here'

It’s not often you have to see a player talk about contract negotiations when he isn’t eligible for a new contract for another year, but Toronto Maple Leafs superstar center Auston Matthews had to do just that on Wednesday.

In the wake of Nathan MacKinnon’s massive eight-year contract extension with a $12.6 million cap hit on Tuesday, it makes Matthews the next generational talent due up for a contract when his current $11.6 million deal ends in 2024. This led to plenty of discussion, both on what he might make on his new deal as well as if that deal will even be signed with the Leafs or if he’ll walk to free agency.

“It’s well-deserved,” said Matthews about MacKinnon’s new deal. “As far as my situation, I’m not too focused on that. It’s still a couple of years away.”

He won’t let the contract talks consume a lot of the narrative this season, especially considering it’s about a contract that he’s not allowed to sign until at least July 1, 2023.

“I want to be clear about the contract stuff. I’m going to touch on it today, and that’s it,” said Matthews. “I’m focused on the season, and we’ll deal with it then. I love playing here. I consider it home now.”

Matthews is coming off an incredible 2021-22 campaign that saw him score 60 goals in just 73 games along with 46 assists for a career-high 106 points. The season also saw him break Rick Vaive’s franchise record for goals in a season as a Maple Leaf. Matthews also became the first player to score 51 goals in a 50-game span since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. He captured his first Hart Trophy as league MVP, as well as the Ted Lindsay Award and his second Rocket Richard Trophy.

While the Leafs being tight up against the cap may be a cause for concern for being able to give Matthews the money he wants in 2024, their current cap structure is set up quite well to give them plenty of space for Matthews’ new deal. Only John Tavares, Mitch Marner, Calle Jarnkrok and Morgan Rielly have contracts that go beyond 2024, leaving the Leafs with a projected cap space of almost $53 million, and that’s assuming that the salary cap doesn’t go up in the next two seasons.