LaCarriere
Registered User
Then he should sign for a long term deal, and have money guaranteed for something like 13M+ / 8 years into his mid 30s. By looking for a short term deal around 3-5 years I'm guessing he thinks health won't be an issue.He shouldn't gamble on being healthy enough for a fourth contract
I'm not sure why any team should reward a player for not committing long term (by giving them short term/high AAV), and giving them the opportunity to go elsewhere in possibly a handful of years. Apparently he's looking for 5 years max, but possibly/preferably 3-4. But matthews has all the leverage now, so he'll probably just get what he wants, especially if the leafs go to the second round again and a deal isn't done by then.
It looks like matthews is not only looking to maximize his opportunity for one more big contract, but trying to have his deal end in line with what is most likely the end of the window for this core group.