Toronto Maple Leafs sign Auston Matthews to four-year contract extension

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews have agreed to a four-year, $53-million contract extension with a $13.25-million annual average value. This contract will carry the highest cap hit in the NHL when it goes into effect.

Matthews, 25, is already one of the more accomplished players in Maple Leafs history, with Hart, Ted Lindsey, and Rocket Richard trophy wins to go along with two Lady Byng finalist nods and six All-Star nominations in his eight-year career. He's put up 542 points across his 481-game NHL career and generated sterling two-way results in the process.

Auston Matthews, signed to a 4x$13.3M extension by TOR, is an elite scoring centre who creates chances and goals at an unparalleled level at 5v5 while being effective in other areas of the game. His strength and smarts in puck battles gives him defensive upside too. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/9Cgp3yWK3u

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 23, 2023

The only thing that's really eluded Matthews to this point in his career is, well, success in the postseason. Matthews has 44 points in 50 career playoff games but has only made it out of the first round once, in last year's playoffs.

He'll have plenty of time to exorcise those demons with this extension. This deal will keep Matthews with the Maple Leafs through the 2027-28 season, at which point he'll be 30-years-old.