Maple Leafs sign Auston Matthews to entry-level contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs and No. 1 overall draft selection Auston Matthews finally agreed to terms Thursday on a three-year, entry-level contract.
And the kid apparently won out.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Matthews will indeed receive a full base salary and have maximum bonus potential throughout his entry-level term with the organization, sources told Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
The "full permissible package," as Matthews' agent Pat Brisson described it, and which is customary for No. 1 overall draft picks to receive, includes a $925,000 standard salary and $2.85 million in performance bonuses.
It's believed Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello was hesitant to sign Matthews to an incentive-laden contract - an old-school preference that dates back to his time with the New Jersey Devils.
Brisson, however, said there were no issues in negotiations with Lamoriello, according to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.
Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets signed his entry-level deal at just short of the maximum potential value. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, meanwhile, each negotiated the full freight in their deals last summer.