Auston Matthews signs four-year contract extension with Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews becomes highest paid player in NHL Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews' four-year extension for $53-million will make him the NHL's highest paid player.

Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews has signed a four-year contract extension worth an average of $13.25 million per year, the team announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The extension will kick in after this coming season, when his current contract was set to expire.

The 25-year-old was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in 2022, and this past season, helped lead Toronto to its first second-round playoff appearance in nearly 20 years.

“I feel fortunate to continue this journey as a Maple Leaf in front of the best fans in hockey! I will do everything I can to help get us to the top of the mountain,” Matthews said in a social media post minutes before news of his extension broke.

The former number-one-overall pick has been an alternate captain for the Leafs since the 2019-20 season, but following another disappointing playoff exit this spring, his future with the club was uncertain.

Leafs brass will now turn their attention to William Nylander, another member of the Leafs’ “core four” whose contract is set to expire at the end of next season.