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The announcement of Auston Matthews signing a seven figure sponsorship agreement with Scotiabank on Thursday is good news for the pocketbook of the 20-year-old superstar, but could also be a positive for the Maple Leafs when the club and his representatives sit down to negotiate a new contract next summer.
The financial conglomerate earlier this year announced a 20-year agreement with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for the naming rights of Air Canada Centre beginning in July 2019 for $800 Million.
Matthews is expected to be amongst the highest paid players in the NHL on his new deal, but the more he earns in endorsement/sponsorship deals ancillary to his hockey salary, the more it is possible that he’ll accept a deal slightly less than it could be to accommodate having room under the salary cap to re-sign other players and keep the Leafs competitive.
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In an thorough analysis of the potential John Tavares free agent situation,
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski believes that the only chance that the Toronto native signs with the Leafs next summer is on a high-yield, short-term contract similar to what Marian Hossa did with Detroit in 2008-09.
That would be a highly risky proposition for Tavares, with injury and age being factors in him being able to sign a long-term deal and the possibility of facing criticism if the Leafs do not contend for the Cup, which is why it is a long shot at best.
Wyshnyski believes the Leafs might prefer to keep their powder dry and wait for the opportunity to add a franchise defenseman.
Next summer could be the opportunity for Toronto to acquire help to significantly improve their blueline, with names like Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ryan McDonagh and Ryan Ellis entering the final years of their contracts and teams potentially being unsure of their ability to sign them.
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One of the bigger surprises for the Toronto Marlies has been big winger Mason Marchment, but his eye-opening season has hit a snag with a knee injury that will keep him out at least a month.
The 22-year-old son of former Leaf Bryan went is on an AHL contract and had some success in the ECHL last season, but did not make much of an impact in a dozen games with the Marlies until this year.
The 6’4”, 200 lb forward could be on the path to getting an NHL contract, with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 18 games and AHL Player of the Week honors last month, but the injury suffered last weekend is expected to keep Marchment out until mid-January.
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