Matthews signs 4-year, $53 million contract with Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $13.25 million and begins next season.

Matthews has one year remaining on the five-year, $58.17 million contract he signed on Feb. 5, 2019. The new contract runs through the 2027-28 season.

"Getting it done, it's obviously very exciting and I can put it behind me now and continue to focus on myself, on the next couple of weeks here leading up to training camp," Matthews said Friday. "... It wasn't something where it was, I woke up one day and that was the case, it was a lot long discussions with my family, my agent and people closest to me. Just kind of going through my process and the conclusion was we found the right balance at four years and I'll be with the team for 12 total years by the end of this contract.

"I love playing in Toronto, I love my teammates and everything that comes with being a Maple Leaf, it's been a real honor to be a part of this organization and something I definitely don't take for granted."

The 25-year-old forward had 85 points (40 goals, 45 assists) in 74 games with the Maple Leafs last season and had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Scottsdale, Arizona, native has 542 points (299 goals, 243 assists) in 481 NHL games and 44 points (22 goals, 22 assists) in 50 playoff games. Matthews is tied for fifth with Rick Vaive in goals and is 11th in points in Maple Leafs history.

"To me this was a collaborative effort, you are trying to find something that fits for both sides," Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said Friday. "The bottom line is, you are talking about one of the world's best talents and in the situation he was in, he could come in and demand a whole lot more than what he got. To me it was a partnership more than a negotiation. It took some time to find a balance that worked for everybody but I applaud Auston, he kept coming back to obviously he has business he has to take care of but he overlapped that to how it would fit on the team construct and how do we win and how does this work moving forward."

Toronto has been active in free agency, adding forwards Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves, as well as defenseman John Klingberg, which Matthews appreciated.

"Just with the whole process itself, with Brad coming in and getting to know him, the moves we've made in the offseason," Matthews said. "And like I've expressed before, my passion and belief in this team and loving playing here in the city of Toronto and for these great fans and for the Maple Leafs. … I take a lot of pride in that and have really enjoyed my time here."

Toronto captain John Tavares was also happy the contract got done.

"Hearing that news today, it doesn't get better than that for us here in Toronto and our fan base," Tavares said Wednesday. "I know how much he loves it here. The conversations I've had with him, he really wants to be here and continue to build and see this through and find our way to where we want to get to.

"In our conversations, he made that very clear (he wants to be here). It doesn't surprise me it was something he wanted to get done and just get put behind him and continue to move forward and not be something everyone has to answer about or talk about or think about. He's a big part of the future here and now he will just continue on with what he's been doing and become a better and better player like he has every year."

Matthews won the Hart Trophy voted as the NHL most valuable player for the 2021-22 season when he led the NHL with 60 goals, a Maple Leafs single-season record.

Matthews also won the 2022 Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player as voted by NHLPA members, becoming the first Maple Leafs player to win the award. He won the Rocket Richard Memorial Trophy in consecutive seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22) and the 2016 Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year. Matthews has represented Toronto at the NHL All-Star Game four times (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) and has been named to the NHL's First All-Star Team in 2022 and Second All-Star Team in 2021.

"[The legacy] is something that pops up in the back of your mind every once in a while and you see it online," Matthews said. "My biggest priority as a Maple Leaf is to be the best player and teammate I can be and do what I can to take this team where we are trying to go. All the other accolades just come with being a part of this organization and committing here for the next five years and just really sinking my heels in. If that stuff happens, that's great but obviously we are all chasing one goal in particular and that's definitely the most important."

NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report