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Auston Matthews reveals why he settled on a 4-year term on his extension

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Ryan Smitheram
August 25, 2023 (9:42 PM)

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Before any "insider" could reveal it, Auston Matthews took to Twitter himself and released a statement, essentially announcing his new contract. When many people saw the tweet, they were confused as nothing had been announced yet. Minutes after Matthews' tweet, the official announcement was made.

The deal makes Matthews the highest paid NHLer, paying him $13.25M per season over the four years of the extension. Today, Matthews spoke to reporters for the first time all summer and revealed why he settled on a four-year deal and not longer or shorter and why now was the right time to sign.

"It was definitely a priority. Not something I wanted to rush into right away, but just the whole process itself, with Brad coming in, getting to know him and the moves we made in the offseason and obviously, like I've expressed before, my passion, my belief in this team and loving playing here in the city of Toronto and for these great fans. Like I've expressed before, I take a lot of pride in that and [have] really enjoyed my time here. I just think getting it done is always very exciting and putting it behind me now, continuing to focus on myself the next couple weeks heading into training camp," - Matthews when asked why now was the right time to sign his extension

Matthews was then asked why and how he settled on four years.

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"I think the balance on both sides, both parts. It wasn't something that I woke up one day and that was the case. I think it was a lot of discussion with my family, my agent, and people closest to me - just kind of going through my process and I guess the conclusion is we found the right balance at 4 years. Like I said, I love playing in Toronto, I love my teammates and everything that comes with being a Maple Leaf. It's been a real honour to be a part of this organization and it's something I don't take for granted, but I felt like it was the right balance for everybody involved and I'm excited to put it behind me and focus on hockey." - Matthews on opting for a 4-year term

With Matthews set with his new deal and seemingly injury free, he will be looking to return to his 60-goal, 106-point self following what was a down year for him with just 40 goals and 85 points this past season. Matthews will come into camp without having to be bombarded with questions daily about an extension, but the same cannot be said for William Nylander - at least not yet. With Matthews locked up for the next 4 years, Brad Treliving can now turn his attention to Nylander's extension in the hopes of having them both locked up long before training camp even begins.

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

Auston Matthews comments on Nylander's contract situation

Leafs GM Brad Treliving reveals how he feels about Auston Matthews' new 4-year extension

Bruins podcaster makes ridiculous claim regarding Auston Matthews

POLL
25 AOUT \| 346 ANSWERS Auston Matthews reveals why he settled on a 4-year term on his extension How do you feel about the Leafs only getting 4 years out of Matthews?
I don't mind it	226	65.3 %
I hate it.. it should have been a longer deall	50	14.5 %
Love it!	70	20.2 %
List of polls