Auston Matthews not focused on contract extension with Maple Leafs

While Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas seems to think he’s making progress on an extension with his franchise player, Auston Matthews says his next contract isn’t exactly top of mind.

The sniper touched on the reported negotiations during NHL All-Star media day in San Jose, reminding us that while his entry-level contract is set to expire, he’s actually been in this situation before. Matthews got his first taste of negotiating a professional hockey contract when he took his talents to Switzerland before he was selected first overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.

“I kinda went through a contract thing when I was trying to go over to Switzerland,” Matthews shared with the media on Thursday. “That was kind of a debacle, a bit, during the summer. I’d probably say that was a much more difficult situation than the one I’m in now.”

Before long, Matthews steered the conversation back toward Toronto, using a few sports cliches to insinuate that a contract extension isn’t currently on his to-do list.

“It’s not really something that I think about much. When it gets done, it gets done. Until then, I’m not too worried about it. Let my agent handle it. Kyle and his management team, they’ll talk and when my agent calls me and says ‘I think we’re ready to sign,’ then I’ll sign.

“But until then I’m just focused on myself, on the Toronto Maple Leafs and just living every day.”

Despite his current lack of interest in negotiating an extension, Matthews explained that he remains passionate about both the Maple Leafs and the city of Toronto. But, once again, it didn’t take him long to shift the discussion from the future back to the present.

“I love my time in Toronto so far. Two and a half years in, I mean, I love the city. The fans are so passionate about us as players and the team. Obviously we’ve got a lot of young talent and a team I think they can be proud of and that we want them to be proud of.

“The last couple weeks for us, you know, didn’t go so well but a little adversity never hurts and we’re trying to climb ourselves back up and get out of the hole that we’ve dug for ourselves.”

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