Star player Connor Bedard signed his newest contract, and the Toronto Maple Leafs should take it as a warning for what could happen with star contracts going forward.
Connor Bedard signed a five-year $75 million deal while he was a restricted free agent this offseason and is coming off the best season of his career so far; in 69 games, he put up 30 goals and 45 assists for over a point per game.
While some people may claim that Bedard does not deserve his price tag or has not lived up to the hype, the reality is he was incredible on a team where his linemate, Andre Burakovsky, was traded for a sixth-round pick this offseason.
However, this deal will walk Bedard to free agency at 25 years old. And if the team does not start to contend before year three or four of that deal, there is a possibility of Bedard finding himself off the Hawks.
The same thing is happening with Auston Matthews; he is a free agent two years from now, and if this season goes poorly, he could try and force his way out of Toronto in one way or another with no long-term commitment in place.
Connor Bedard reportedly pushed Chicago toward a shorter commitment
The salary cap in the NHL is exploding year over year now, and the percentage of what players can make per season is going up. In the next five to ten years, you are going to start to see players make over $20 million a season.
In the old flat-cap world, it made sense for players to take longer contracts and secure the most money possible, but now salaries are inflating year-over-year in the NHL.
Stars also want some control and leverage over their future to avoid a Dylan Larkin-type situation.
Reportedly, Chicago pushed for an eight-year deal, and Bedard pushed for a shorter-term deal, and the sides compromised on five years, which bought out just one year of unrestricted free agency.
It makes no sense for a star to lock themselves up long-term when in four years their salary could be nearly double.
For example, why would Bedard sign an eight-year deal at $15 million when in four years he will be worth over $25 million?
Auston Matthews may repeat the strategy in his next Maple Leafs negotiation
Two years ago, Matthews signed a four-year $53 million contract with the club.
And considering he is in the prime of his career, he may plan to sign another short-term contract and then cash in on the biggest payday of his career in a couple of seasons from now.
We know what the salary cap will be for the next two seasons, and players' salaries, particularly stars', will go up exponentially over these two years as well.
After that, it is not confirmed what the cap number will be, but you can assume it will follow the same trajectory and that the cap will skyrocket year over year.
A short-term deal at a high AAV for Matthews means he will get another pay raise with his next contract, rather than signing long-term and taking smaller short-term deals in the twilight of his career.
Short-term deals are incredibly player-friendly for young stars who gain leverage in negotiations to ask for maximum AAV.
The Maple Leafs will always make room and be willing to spend money on a player of Auston Matthews' calibre with their ownership group. However, the hard part will be getting him to commit the rest of his prime to Toronto if they have another poor season.
Ring chasing has been incredibly common the previous two seasons in the NHL; players are trying to form superteams, with the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Florida Panthers popular destinations.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have always been a destination in hockey, but they have yet to string together a significant postseason run over the last decade, and something like that is going to be incredibly difficult to do if Matthews leaves the team as a free agent or forces his way out via trade.
What will Auston Matthews' next contract AAV be?
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