By Canadian Press

Maple Leafs sign star centre Auston Matthews to four-year, $53-million extension

Aug 23, 2023 | 2:34 PM

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed star centre Auston Matthews to a four-year deal, US$53-million contract extension.

The deal carries an average annual value of $13.5 million, which will make Matthews the league’s highest-paid player beginning in 2024-25, surpassing Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 AAV.

Matthews has one season left on his current contract — a five-year, $58.2-million pact signed in February 2019 — that could have walked him into unrestricted free agency next summer.

The first-overall pick at the 2016 draft won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2021-22 thanks to a league-best 60 goals that also propelled him to a second consecutive Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy.

The 25-year-old from Scottsdale, Ariz., dipped slightly in 2022-23, but still found the back of the net 40 times as part of an 85-point campaign over 74 games. 

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Matthews added five goals and six assists in 11 playoff contests, helping Toronto beat Tampa Bay in six games in the opening round of the playoffs advance in the post-season for the first time since 2004.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2023.

The Canadian Press