Despite $13,250,000 annual deal, Auston Matthews would make less money than 113 NBA players this year

By ADITYA KAR

Modified Aug 26, 2023 17:41 GMT

Auston Matthews has signed a contract that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs and their supporters can now finally breathe easy.

On Wednesday, the NHL's top centre agreed to a four-year, $53 million agreement. This will keep him with the franchise that picked him first overall in the 2016 NHL Draft through to the 2027–28 campaign.

Beginning in 2024–25, Matthews will earn the most money in the league according to the contract, which has an average annual value of $13.25 million. It surpasses Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon's $12.6 million AAV.

But, how does he compare to other athletes, especially in the NBA?

According to Cam Robinson, he will only be the 113th highest-paid player in the NBA. Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has the most expensive contract right now, a five-year, $304 million ($A448m) supermax extension. The contract has an average annual value of $60 million.

The agreement begins in the 2024–25 season, when he will earn $52.4 million ($A77.2 million), the most money any player has ever made in a single year. Brown will be paid $69.1 million ($A101.8m) in the deal's final year.

This agreement is more lucrative than Nikola Jokic's $276 million ($A406m) pact through 2022 with the Denver Nuggets. That deal has an AAV of $55 million. Bradley Beal, too, had a $251 million deal with the Washington Wizards.

Other top players like Steph Curry, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, and Anthony Davis have also signed $100 million contracts.

Auston Matthews' renewal the talk of the town

Auston Matthews still has one season left on the five-year, $58.2 million deal he signed in February 2019 that prevented him from entering unrestricted free agency the following summer.

After the Leafs' season ended, social media was abuzz with speculation about the player's future. On July 1, Matthews' no-movement clause went into effect, giving him much negotiating power over his future.

The fifth and final year of Auston Matthews' five-year deal, which he signed in February 2019, will count towards the cap's $11.64 million allowance.

Auston Matthews created Maple Leafs history by scoring all four goals in his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators after being selected first overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.