Leafs captain reacts to the news that Matthews finally signed his extension
Auston Matthews became the highest paid player in the NHL Wednesday evening when he signed a 4-year, $53M contract extension. The deal will pay him $13.25M per season, surpassing Nathan MacKinnon's $12.6M AAV, which was previously the highest salary in the league.
Leafs captain John Tavares is skating in a charity hockey game tonight and was in Brampton, Ontario for the event when he heard the news that Matthews had finally put pen to paper on his record-setting contract extension. When asked about Matthews' extension prior to the game, here's what Tavares had to say:
"Hearing that news, it doesn't get better than that for us here in Toronto and our fan base. I know how much he loves it here."
Tavares continued by praising Matthews for how he has matured throughout his career and in the spotlight of Toronto.
"I think you have seen the leadership and the maturity rise, along with his game and the balance of his impact as player, on and off the ice, and what he means to the team and the sport in general."
Like Tavares, Leaf fans have been absolutely thrilled since news broke of Matthews staying in Toronto for another 4 years beyond next season as they get to see him chase more Leaf records, and hopefully hoist a Stanley Cup.
Tavares himself is eligible for an extension come July 1st, 2024, when he enters into the final year of his 7-year deal he signed with the Leafs in the summer of 2017. His next deal with the Leafs, should he opt to remain in Toronto, will likely come with a significant discount as he will be into his mid 30's.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 23 | 630 ANSWERS Leafs captain reacts to the news that Matthews finally signed his extension Do you think the Leafs will re-sign John Tavares when his current deal expires? | ||
| No | 268 | 42.5 % |
| Yes | 362 | 57.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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