The odds-makers reveal who the heavy favourite to sign Auston Matthews in the summer of 2024 is
There has been a lot of talk this summer about what is going to happen when Auston Matthews' current contract expires in the summer of 2024. The discussion really began to spiral out of control after American-born wingers Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk left the Calgary Flames in pursuit of deals south of the border. Naturally, people are looking at Matthews, a California-born, Arizona native as the next superstar to jump ship and take the first off-ramp out of Canada.
Matthews was drafted 1st overall by the Leafs in 2016 and has, by all accounts, loved his time in Toronto. Playing in the hockey mecca has afforded Matthews the opportunity to play under the brightest spotlight in the NHL and has also led to countless endorsement opportunities that he may not have had elsewhere. He has, on multiple occasions, gushed about playing in Toronto and I'm sure that MLSE sparing no expense to give its players a second-to-none NHL experience has a lot to do with why Matthews has loved being a Leaf.
On Monday, Bodog Canada, a popular betting platform, released the odds for where Matthews will sign his next deal on a special prop. Unsurprisingly, the Leafs are HEAVY favourites. The breakdown for the top-5 odds are as follows:
Toronto Maple Leafs -1000
Arizona Coyotes +550
Florida Panthers +1500
Tampa Bay Lightning +1500
Seattle Kraken +1800
I'm not going to beat around the bush - I'm a little surprised that New York and Los Angeles were not on this list. You'd figure that Matthews, a fashion enthusiast, might like to reside in one of the two most infamous fashion-oriented locations in the league, but nevertheless, here we are.
I'd like to go on record, as I have on a number of occasions, and state that I fully believe that Matthews will remain a Leaf and that an extension will be signed long before the summer of 2024. I'd imagine that as soon as he becomes eligible to sign an extension with the Leafs next summer, he, his agent and GM Kyle Dubas will have already laid the foundation for his next deal and that he'll sign immediately or not too long after. He just seems like a Leaf for life.
