Auston Matthews comments on McDavid’s team-friendly deal: ‘Everybody’s situation is different’

Connor McDavid sent a shockwave through the NHL free agency market yesterday, signing a two-year, $25 million extension with the Edmonton Oilers at an average annual value of $12.5 million.

It’s an astonishingly low figure for the best player in the world, who could easily be earning north of $18 million, but for McDavid, the focus is on winning above cashing in.

Naturally, that show of leadership from Edmonton’s captain put pressure on other top forwards across the league who may not have opted for such a team-friendly figure. After morning skate on Tuesday, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was asked about McDavid’s new deal.

“For him it’s all about winning and setting himself up for the best opportunity to do that,” Matthews said, per TSN’s Mark Masters. “In my time around him, that’s the main thing he wants to do. What everybody wants to do is to win and he’s as committed as anybody.”

Currently earning $13.25 million a year, Matthews will hit free agency in the summer of 2028 along with McDavid, meaning both are able to sign extensions in 2027. Ahead of that, the 28-year-old centre offered his take on whether or not McDavid’s contract will pressure other stars across the league to take less to win more.

“Everybody’s situation is different,” Matthews said. “Every team’s situation is different. Cap’s going up. It’s tough to envision what the landscape is going to look like, but in the end, you always want to try and find a happy medium.”

In some ways, it seems like McDavid has backed top NHLers into a corner with this deal. If the going narrative is McDavid cares more about winning than about money, a player like Matthews is forced to either take less or appear to be saying the opposite, that he cares about money. Probably wouldn’t be a good look.

At the same time, it would be ridiculous to expect other players to take such an extreme pay cut when you have the likes of Kirill Kaprizov earning $17 million a year, and a rising salary cap offering an opportunity for players to cash in big time.