Insider reveals one thing the Leafs are pushing for in the Auston Matthews negotiations
Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, there appears to have been a real breakthrough between new Leafs GM Brad Treliving and Auston Matthews over this past week.
We shared this update in an earlier piece, but Treliving was recently in Arizona and spent some time with Matthews there.
Because of this meeting, Friedman reported on Friday that he has never been more certain than he is right now that Matthews is going to sign an extension in Toronto.
We had shared Friedman's report on this in another piece from earlier today, entitled "NHL Insider reveals the latest on the Leafs and Auston Matthews, including a reported breakthrough", but we felt as though there was one detail ommitted from that piece that deserved a little extra attention.
During the same segment of 32 Thoughts, Friedman stated that the Leafs are going to try to push for 8 years on Matthews, rather than the 3-5 year term he is reportedly seeking on his next deal.
"I still am convinced that Auston Matthews is going to sign in Toronto. I've been consistent about that, I still believe it... I think the Maple Leafs are going to try to get a max-term deal out of this. I don't know what the likelihood is, but I think they're going to try." - Friedman on what sort of term the Leafs want on the Matthews deal with Treliving running the show in Toronto
So, in all of this, the Leafs appear to be more concerned with the term than with the AAV.
Perhaps there's a way that the two sides can reach an accord based on the team bending to meet the salary demands with the player bending to meet the term demands. Even though Matthews holds all of the cards, stranger things have happened.
Look. We know that there are some superstars who have, in the past, inked shorter-term deals in hopes of maximizing their career earnings.
Two examples of players who signed shorter-term are Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla. Crosby signed a 5-year deal coming out of his ELC before eventually inking a 12-year mega contract to (presumably) end his career in Pittsburgh
Meanwhile, Iginla signed a series of short-term deals during his career and never signed one for longer than 5 years, but still spent 17 seasons in Calgary.
Knowing this, perhaps we're being a bit too rigid about the idea that Matthews absolutely has to sign an 8-year deal for it to be viewed as a win for the Leafs.
There are, in all likelihood, 3 and 5-year deals that could also make sense for the Leafs, provided the team and Matthews trust each other and that their goals align.
Having said that, it sure would be nice to tune in to Sportsnet's coverage of free agency on July 1st and see an 8-year extension for Matthews announced.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
| POLL | ||
JUIN 16 | 759 ANSWERS Insider reveals one thing the Leafs are pushing for in the Auston Matthews negotiations What is the most likely term on Auston Matthews' new deal? | ||
| 3 years | 106 | 14 % |
| 5 years | 357 | 47 % |
| 8 years | 252 | 33.2 % |
| Other | 44 | 5.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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