Earlier today, Cale Makar signed an eight-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche worth $163.2 million, which amounts to an AAV of $20.4 million.
This is a record-breaking contract that sets a new standard for the National Hockey League. No player has ever signed for over $20 million per season, and this has general managers around the league on notice as superstars look to get paid their worth.
In 2028, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be staring down this conundrum as Auston Matthews becomes a free agent. It puts general manager John Chayka in a position where he must weigh the pros and cons of a deal that will likely break the bank.
Makar's $20.4M deal makes Toronto's real question how far it will go for Matthews
When Matthews signed his current deal, he was firmly among the highest-paid players in the NHL. That is simply no longer the case after the last few months of blockbuster contract signings.
By 2028, the Leafs will be evaluating a 30-year-old Matthews against the very market that gave Cale Makar a $20 million AAV deal. This means Matthews' health, goal production, and playoff impact will become more important than ever before. The Leafs will be forced to decide whether Matthews is still worth paying at the very top of a market that Makar just pushed past $20 million per season.
Going into Matthews' contract year, the pressure is no longer just on him to prove he still belongs among the league's highest-paid stars. It is on the Maple Leafs front office to decide if loyalty is worth over $20 million per season.
Toronto's 2028 decision could become less about keeping Matthews and more about choosing the next version of the roster
Interestingly, Auston Matthews' contract year also comes at a pivotal time for the Maple Leafs as a whole. It's a time when John Chayka will be evaluating whether or not it is time for a roster reset.
If Toronto ends up giving him a contract at the top of the NHL market, that shapes the amount of money left over for guys like Gavin McKenna, Matthew Knies, and the rest of the team's core.
This is only worth it if Matthews is an elite player who gets back to his production from a couple of seasons ago. However, if Matthews continues to decline, the Leafs are in a position where they might have to move on.
Makar's deal does more than raise the ceiling for elite NHL contracts. It gives Toronto a new benchmark just as Matthews approaches the point where the Leafs must decide if their next era is built around him or the future.
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs sign Auston Matthews for Cale Makar money?
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