Maple Leafs say first-overall pick Auston Matthews deserved maximum rookie deal

TORONTO — To hear Lou Lamoriello tell it, the Maple Leafs general manager might have wrapped up top draft pick Auston Matthews’ contract negotiations between bites of a sandwich.

The 18-year-old Matthews, whom the Leafs hope will become their first franchise centre since Mats Sundin, has been rewarded with a three-year entry-level deal with the maximum bonuses allowed under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement.

“The agreement took place within, I would say, 10 minutes of the first conversation (agent) Pat Brisson and I had when we talked about Auston’s contract,” Lamoriello told a media conference call Thursday.

The second through fourth picks — Patrik Laine (Jets), Pierre-Luc Dubois (Blue Jackets) and Jesse Puljujarvi (Oilers) — in last month’s NHL draft had already signed. And Toronto media speculated that the delay in stamping Matthews’ deal might be due to Lamoriello’s distaste for entry-level bonuses.

Lamoriello denied that, saying Matthews getting the maximum entry-level deal allowed under the collective bargaining agreement was never an issue.

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“Auston was No. 1 overall. The agreement that he has with the Toronto Maple Leafs and his contract, he’s earned this. He deserves what he is getting and there was never a question from us on this.”

Matthews will get the maximum entry-level salary of US$925,000 plus potential bonuses of $2,850,000 that could add up to an average annual value of $3,775,000.

“It feels good,” Matthews said of the successful salary negotiations. “To me it was never an issue or a concern. But now I’ve signed and everything’s been agreed upon, it’s definitely a pretty special feeling.”

Lamoriello said there was no rush in signing Matthews after the June 24 draft. And he played down expectations.

“He knows we believe in him. It’s obvious. He was picked No. 1 overall and we just want him to just be himself, not to try and do something out of the ordinary. Just do what he’s been doing for the number of years that he’s been playing and allow the end result to take care of itself.”

Matthews had 24 goals and 22 assists in 36 games with the ZSC Lions in the Swiss league last season. He also played for the U.S. at the IIHF World Championship (six goals, three assists in 10 games) and the IIHF World Junior Championship (seven goals and four assists in seven games).

In 2014-15, he racked up 55 goals and 62 assists (117 points) with the U.S. national team development program under-18 team, breaking Patrick Kane’s record of 102 points set in 2005-06.

While Matthews has star quality, Lamoriello says the young forward will be part of the Leafs collective.

“To be a Leaf is you have to give up your own identity at times to have success,” he said.

Matthews has already had an early look at Leaf Nation from Toronto’s recent development camp in Niagara Falls, Ont.

“They packed the arena and fans waited outside after the game for all the prospects. It was pretty cool to kind of get a taste of how big this fan base is and how passionate they are. So it’s pretty awesome.”

Matthews says he will spend most of the summer at home in Arizona, preparing for the NHL season and the World Cup of Hockey, where he will play for the North American under-23 team in September.

Also Thursday, the Leafs also signed 23-year-old forward Josh Leivo to a two-year contract. The third-round pick in the 2011 draft had five goals in 12 games with Toronto last season but spent most of the year with the AHL Marlies, collecting 17 goals and 31 assists in 51 regular-season games.

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press