So the next question to be asked: how does this impact Auston Matthews' future contract extension with the Maple Leafs? One can only hope they can sign him to an 8-year extension. My guess is they'll settle on only five. And Matthews may not be as easy to tie down as McDavid was. He's just a different kid.
So you can pretty much mark it down for this time next year: That’s when the Maple Leafs will likely negotiate a contract extension for Auston Matthews that will probably look a lot like McDavid’s deal. Maybe it’ll be a little less generous; Matthews, as spectacular as he is, hasn’t yet shown himself to be in McDavid’s stratosphere. Then again, Matthews has another season to rise. And given his track record so far, it’d be foolish to suggest he doesn’t have it in him.
Either way, he’s going to be expensive. Which only underlines the opportunity staring the Leafs in the face. They’ve got Matthews and Mitch Marner on entry-level deals for two more seasons. That’s an enticing prospect for a team that took a massive competitive leap this past year. It wasn’t just their six-game, five-overtime playoff series with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals that suggested as much. From Jan. 1 until the regular season’s end, only two Eastern teams — the Capitals and Islanders — compiled more points than the Leafs.
Basically, it's expected that productive veterans will soon be cut loose for cheaper talent so that the Maple Leafs can get ready to make a big offering to Matthews.
