Auston Matthews’ potential impact on the Carolina Hurricanes
by Matt Karash | Feb 6, 2019 | Daily Cup of Joe
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that the team had extended Auston Matthews for five years at a whopping $11.63 million per year. Current math shows the Leafs with $7.6 million of cap room for 2019-20 and still eight roster spots to fill including re-signing Kasperi Kapanen and Mitch Marner. The Leafs do get some cap relief from Nathan Horton’s $5 million LTIR and also the likelihood that the salary cap will increase next season. But even still, the math most certainly means that the Leafs will need to trade a player or two. This situation could put William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen and Mitch Marner in play. With the Hurricanes needing another forward or two, this could be relevant to the Canes.
The other interesting upshot is Sebastian Aho’s contract situation. Aho will need to be re-signed this summer if not earlier. Aho was drafted one year earlier, but is similarly coming off of his entry-level contract. Matthews missed some time due to injury, but his scoring pace for 82 games is 99 points. Aho is not far behind at 95. I do not think Aho would be able to negotiate for Matthews type money simply because Matthews has posted bigger totals in prior years. But as a young superstar who is a team leader offensively, I do think Matthews contract matters. First, it sets a precendent for young stars seeking the maximum possible versus at least considering what is best for the team. Second, though Aho might be
a notch below Matthews, Aho’s next deal could still use Matthews’ deal as a reference point.
Random Carolina Hurricanes notes: Micheal Ferland, Canes-centric thoughts on Auston Matthews’ contract and the standings | Canes & Coffee