Does Matthews leave for the US after his contract expires?

[Legion34]

He'll leave for Arizona imo

by the time his deal ends, Arizona will soon have their arena and district built and Matthews can usher in the new era of Coyotes hockey

???? He has 2 years left. They haven’t even agreed to the building.

They might not even have the plans ready.

There is no way the guy who wants to be the biggest star leaves to play in a 3k college arena.

People forget that Auston Matthews left the us the first chance he got. He isn’t a guy who only wanted to stay or play at X. He hasn’t played hockey in Arizona since he was like 15 and hasnt played in the states for like 10 years.

 

[waitin425]

Voted...Let's see how the season goes.

Looking at Cap friendly, the only long term contract the Leafs currently have is Reilly. Tavares and Marner will expire the year after Nylander and Matthews.

Nylander will likely command a raise, and I would think that if anyone walks to find a better deal it will be him. Leafs will likely try and sign Matthews first and then fit Nylander under the cap after that.

Muzzin and Brodie will both expire at that time and they will be 35 and 34 years old respectively. I would probably try and sign them for a mil less than they are currently making given their decline and heading into the twilight years.

Also, the cap in two years will probably climb.

I predict when Matthews signs, it will be for the richest contract in History around 14-15 mil per year on an 8 year deal. Leafs will have the room at that time to make that deal.

 

[The90]

I don't disagree with the sentiment that Toronto is on another tier than lets's say Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. But the rest of your post is fairly off-track.

Toronto is more or less on the same tier globally as Montreal and Vancouver (ahead, yes - But not at all comparable to Paris vs. the rest of France for instance). Only a Torontonian could make such a claim.

And the same is true for Germany. Berlin is hardly the most important city, or the only place people go (and I say that as a Berliner). Industry is concentrated in the South (Munich and Stuttgart), finance, banking, and the most important airport is in Frankfurt, fashion and design is concentrated in Düsseldorf, media in Cologne and Hamburg (which also has one of Europe's most important harbours). Tourism is spread fairly evenly throughout. It's an incredibly polycentric country and it doesn't at all fit your mould.

No it’s not. I’m not from any of those city’s and there’s a big difference between going to those 3 places. Toronto is definitely more extravagant even if you don’t include anything sports related. There’s a reason Toronto has an NHL, NBA as well as an MLB team.

If Matthews leaves I could see LA. But he’s flashy and gets lots of spotlight in Toronto. He’s a literal rockstar there

 

[FrozenJagrt]

The length of his contract doesn't concern me as it's in line with what a lot of stars in the past signed. Max-length contracts in RFA are a relatively recent trend.

With that being said, I'll wait to see what happens in the next couple seasons. If he does leave, I'd be surprised if it was for Arizona. Florida could free up a lot of space by then, especially if they can find a sucker to take Bob

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

Option 4.

The greatest Mexican player in NHL history moves deep south to play ambassador for expansion into the Mexican market.

 

[SML2]

Self fulfilling prophecy.

Matthews will want enough to make himself the highest paid player in the game.

Doing so will doom the team to never being able to win.

The thought of never winning will make him leave.

The Coyotes have a wide open balance sheet. If you're going to not win anyway, you may as well do it at home making as much money as possible.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I think if they do some serious winning this year (SCF appearance), there's probably a 50/50 chance he stays. If they win the cup, it's probably 90/10.

I feel like it's pretty rare for core star forwards to leave championship teams. Just in the last 20 years

Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Kane, Toews, Kopitar, Bergeron, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Elias, Lecavalier, Getzlaf, Perry, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Point, Kucherov... Almost all of these guys stuck around and signed their next contract with the team they won with.

But if it's more of the same (1st round exits) then he probably walks.

 

[Peasy]

Voted...Let's see how the season goes.

Looking at Cap friendly, the only long term contract the Leafs currently have is Reilly. Tavares and Marner will expire the year after Nylander and Matthews.

Nylander will likely command a raise, and I would think that if anyone walks to find a better deal it will be him. Leafs will likely try and sign Matthews first and then fit Nylander under the cap after that.

Muzzin and Brodie will both expire at that time and they will be 35 and 34 years old respectively. I would probably try and sign them for a mil less than they are currently making given their decline and heading into the twilight years.

Also, the cap in two years will probably climb.

I predict when Matthews signs, it will be for the richest contract in History around 14-15 mil per year on an 8 year deal. Leafs will have the room at that time to make that deal.

Yup. Dubas has set up their cap to be able to offer Matthews the world. A huge part of him going out and getting Murray instead of Campbell was that Murray contract will be done at the same time as Matthews'. Campbell's would not be. Have to wait and see if it will pay off and if it was the correct move.

 

[Orfieus]

The only thing I will in this dumb f***ing post is Matthews has always followed the money and with his next contract and sponsorships Matthews will make the most money in Toronto

With that said, and as a Leaf fan myself, I wouldn't be surprised if money no longer drives his ambitions and signs a friendly contract with a another team that is able to complete in the playoffs

 

[Legion34]

-wouldn’t play in the OHL
-wouldn’t spend offseasons in Toronto
-wouldn’t sign long-term with the Leafs

You do realize he wouldn’t play in the us either right? He went to Switzerland.

He goes home because
1.) everyone does…. Mcdavid is literally working out with spezza right now in the leafs facility.
2.) taxes. He can try to claim he is a us resident for tax purposes if he spends more than half his tome in the us. Makes some money (like 25 games there). It’s tight and it’s a pain in the ass to do so we don’t get the Tampa breaks.

But that’s why he does it. This is known.

 

[Sharkbomb]

People need to stop lumping Toronto in with Alberta and Manitoba. We're on another tier when it comes to what we can offer people than them.

When you visit Japan, you go to Tokyo. When you visit America you got to LA or NYC. When you visit France, you see Paris. Thailand? Bangkok. Germany? Berlin.

When you visit Canada you go to Toronto.

The top two US destinations for international inbound travelers are, in fact, New York City and Las Vegas. Interestingly enough, Disney World is also up there in the top 10.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

I pretty much actively root for AZ and it’d be cool to see him go there but I don’t see it.

Dude is the clear cut top dog in the biggest market. Never say never but I’d bet against him leaving.

 

[kerrabria]

He's under contract for 2 more years, fools.

Close this dumb thread.

There was already a Stamkos megathread during the 2014-15 season when Leafs fans thought they had a legit chance at snagging him.

 

[Razz]

Nobody really knows what Matthews' intentions are. Some may say the 5-year deal was meant to take him straight to Free Agency so that he may leave to a city of his choosing, or it's to ensure he maximizes his earnings during his prime.

Without a doubt, Toronto will have no trouble giving him a maxed-out contract with the entire sum paid out in signing bonuses. It's clear as day that's what Dubas is preparing for if you look at the Leafs' contracts. Matthews will be, without question, the highest-paid player in the NHL in 2-year's time.

How many teams will offer this, we do not know. I can safely say that he's unlikely to be in the same type of situation as Gaudreau, whose decision was focused on raising a young family.

There's certainly a chance he can go to LA. They could feasibly offer him a gargantuan 7-year contract. The interesting thing about Matthews is that he doesn't have to worry much about the term. He could surprise us all, sign short-term, and drive his salary through the roof.

 

[Torontonian]

Calgary is not Toronto, the life style of a pro athlete in the two city are two night and day. Lastly one out of the three players has a chance of becoming the greatest player in arguably the most historic franchise in the NHL, unlike the two players who left Calgary.

Just because Johnny hockey left and Tkchuck is now re evaluating his options tied into American players wanting to leave Canada is over blown. Unless you are Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, you are going to have a hard time retaining your talent.

 

[banks]

There was already a Stamkos megathread during the 2014-15 season when Leafs fans thought they had a legit chance at snagging him.

So this is a revenge thread for something that happened 5 years ago?

 

[Razz]

In my mind, the best thing going for the argument he stays in Toronto is Mitch Marner, who provides the support he needs to be consistently top-tier in production. I think it's fair to say that Matthews doesn't have strong roots in the city as much as I would like to believe the opposite, but Toronto has the largest spotlight in the entire sport, and Matthews has no issues with that. I believe the spotlight drives his success outside the rink and allows him to capture revenue from the US and Canadian markets by playing in Toronto. He's in a unique situation, to say the least.

 

[ijuka]

The moment he signed a 5 year deal that barely brings him to UFA, I expected that he'd leave for USA as soon as the contract's done. And I'm not sure why my opinion would have changed during this time.

In my mind, the best thing going for the argument he stays in Toronto is Mitch Marner, who provides the support he needs to be consistently top-tier in production. I think it's fair to say that Matthews doesn't have strong roots in the city as much as I would like to believe the opposite, but Toronto has the largest spotlight in the entire sport, and Matthews has no issues with that. I believe the spotlight drives his success outside the rink and allows him to capture revenue from the US and Canadian markets by playing in Toronto. He's in a unique situation, to say the least.

Does Matthews really strike you as a big spotlight kind of a guy?

 

[Razz]

The moment he signed a 5 year deal that barely brings him to UFA, I expected that he'd leave for USA as soon as the contract's done. And I'm not sure why my opinion would have changed during this time.
Does Matthews really strike you as a big spotlight kind of a guy?

Yes, I do.

 

[kerrabria]

So this is a revenge thread for something that happened 5 years ago?

Do you really think that? Or are you just too big of a baby to accept that these threads happen for every team's best player when they
a) haven't had a ton of success
b) are nearing UFA

 

[TheRumble]

But it won't take much convincing to go to LA or the Big Apple. He loves the star life and already thinks he a run way fashion model.
He could have signed the long term deal that the other three in T.O signed. He flat our refused that for a reason.
He's 99% gone.

Seriously, am I the only one here who has travelled abroad? Do none of you know what a niche sport hockey is in America?

The reason he has attention is because he's a hockey player in Toronto. Toronto has the marketing muscle, media reach and the love for hockey.

LA doesn't care about hockey. The fact that Gretzky played there for 8 years and the Kings are probably the 6th most popular sports team in that market speaks volumes. It's Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, USC Football, Clippers, Kings, Chargers

New York doesn't care about hockey. It's treated as an afterthought by their own sports media. There's actually a running joke on one of the daily talk show radio stations there - I forget which one, that whenever they are forced to talk hockey, the hosts just skip it. The only media personality in that city that really enjoys talking about it is Boomer Esiason and that's because his daughter is married to Matt Martin.

If Matthews goes to either of those cities, it's because he wants to live in an A-tier city while being rich but relatively anonymous at the same time.

If Matthews wants fame, he stays in Toronto. He's got more endorsement deals in Canada than McDavid has despite being a lesser of the two players. Matthews got deals with Apple, Visa, Scotia Bank and a the usual assortment of hockey companies.

If Matthews wants to be in America while remaining somewhat famous, he'd be better off in a market like Vegas where hockey was embraced from the get go or a one sport city like St. Paul (the other Minnesota sports teams play in Minneapolis). His fame would be very local though.

 

[TheRumble]

I don't disagree with the sentiment that Toronto is on another tier than lets's say Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. But the rest of your post is fairly off-track.

Toronto is more or less on the same tier globally as Montreal and Vancouver (ahead, yes - But not at all comparable to Paris vs. the rest of France for instance). Only a Torontonian could make such a claim.

And the same is true for Germany. Berlin is hardly the most important city, or the only place people go (and I say that as a Berliner). Industry is concentrated in the South (Munich and Stuttgart), finance, banking, and the most important airport is in Frankfurt, fashion and design is concentrated in Düsseldorf, media in Cologne and Hamburg (which also has one of Europe's most important harbours). Tourism is spread fairly evenly throughout. It's an incredibly polycentric country and it doesn't at all fit your mould.

I knew someone would bring this up.

First, I'm from Montreal originally. I live in Toronto now. I've just travelled enough that I know where Toronto's place in Canada is relative to other Canadian cities.

I wasn't comparing Toronto to those other cities directly - that's why I put Bangkok in there but you saw that I mentioned all these other cool European cities as well and were like "HURR DURR THIS MAN IS COMPARING TORONTO TO PARIS."

Toronto is well ahead of Vancouver and Montreal globally in many respects. As a non-wealthy person, I'd say Montreal culturally is the coolest of the three cities and the one that offers the best lifestyle for middle class people, but Toronto laps them both in every other metric.

 

[Zenos]

No it’s not. I’m not from any of those city’s and there’s a big difference between going to those 3 places. Toronto is definitely more extravagant even if you don’t include anything sports related. There’s a reason Toronto has an NHL, NBA as well as an MLB team.

Agree to disagree then.

 

[Peasy]

The moment he signed a 5 year deal that barely brings him to UFA, I expected that he'd leave for USA as soon as the contract's done. And I'm not sure why my opinion would have changed during this time.
Does Matthews really strike you as a big spotlight kind of a guy?

Is this honestly a serious question?

Because if you are honestly asking this, then you barely know anything about Matthews.

 

[bobholly39]

Why would he leave?

- Leafs/Toronto treat him great, and fans love him
- Toronto has been very generous in contracts, and surely would be again

I just don't see it.