Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews speaks to media during an end-of-season availability in Toronto, on May 15.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
While standing around the barbecue on Saturday, Maple Leafs fans may be distracted from Canada Day celebrations by something far more important to them than the anniversary of confederation: What is happening with Auston Matthews?
On July 1, the club’s star centre is eligible to sign an extension to the five-year agreement that expires at the end of the 2023-24 season. At the same time, a no-move clause takes effect, meaning Toronto needs his approval after that to trade him.
It is believed that Matthews, who has led the NHL in goals in two of his seven seasons and has been voted most valuable player once, hopes to become the highest-paid player in the league. He makes US$11.6-million a year and reportedly wants a significant raise.
Matthews and his agent, Judd Moldaver, have met several times recently with Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving without having reached an accord. Perhaps those discussions will provide some fruit or fireworks for the team’s ardent followers this weekend.
On Tuesday, Treliving announced that Sheldon Keefe will return as head coach. Keefe has been wildly successful during the regular season over three-plus years but is 13-17 in the playoffs.
“There are a lot of priorities here and Sheldon is one,” Treliving said, adding that the two met over the course of four or five days. “We had to go through a process. It was probably difficult and uncomfortable at times but I am happy and look forward to working with him.”
Keefe is yet to sign a contract but Treliving said that will be taken care of after more pressing concerns.
Matthews, of course, is No. 1 among them.
There are fans that believe that signing him is critical to the franchise’s future success. There are others that see him as a talented player but a financial anchor whose salary is already so large that it prevents management from adding more skill to the lineup. And there are others that would like to see him shipped to Florida for a crate of oranges.
Naysayers point out that Toronto has won just one round in the postseason since Matthews’s rookie campaign, so how valuable could he really be?
It is an interesting debate and one that is unwinnable by either side.
Matthews has stated it is his preference to return to Toronto but he wields considerably more leverage than the team. He is drawn to bright lights and keen on branding and would seem to be a marvellous fit in a place like Los Angeles.
But that’s mostly subjective and just me yammering on from my writer’s pulpit.
Treliving, who has only been in the job for less than a month, has a lot of work to do. He has said that signing Matthews is his priority but he also has contracts with William Nylander and Mitch Marner to consider along with a handful of free agents.
“It has been busy,” Treliving said Tuesday in Nashville, where the NHL draft takes place on Wednesday and Thursday. “It has been like drinking out of a firehose so far. It is just the timing.”
Toronto has the 28th pick on Wednesday and only two selections on Thursday – in the fifth and sixth rounds. It is all but determined that Connor Bedard, the most lionized prospect since Connor McDavid, will be chosen first by the Chicago Blackhawks.
But back to the Maple Leafs and a few things to mull.
Nylander is about to enter the final year of a contract that carries a salary cap hit of US$6,962,366. He is also eligible to sign a new deal on July 1 and is likely due for a raise after career highs with 40 goals and 87 points last season.
Marner, who has scored 99 and 97 points in each of the last two campaigns respectively, is under contract through 2024-25 and has a no-move clause in each of the next two years. He earns US$10.9-million annually and would presumably also want a larger contract.
“Everything is squeezed,” Treliving said of the salary cap. “Everything is tight.”
Matthews and Nylander, whose current lesser deal is by far the easiest to move, are at the top of Treliving’s mind.
“I am confident we are going to get both players signed until proven otherwise,” Treliving said. “It’s always good sooner than later. Having clarity always helps.
“But is it the be all and end all? No. We are certainly working toward that but after July 1 the work doesn’t stop.”
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
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