Auston Matthews is reportedly willing to take a discount on his next deal to help the Leafs build a winner

Now that those deals are up and the salary cap is finally set to rise by leaps and bounds, all eyes are on 2022 Hart, Ted Lindsay and Rocket Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews. Today on SN590's Drive Time, Frank Seravalli gave an update on negotiations between Matthews and the Leafs new front office.

I'll admit, hearing this part didn't exactly fill me with hope. From the sounds of it, Matthews wants to be the highest paid player in the NHL while, at the same time, signing a shorter term deal so he can re-up for more in a few short years. Don't worry, there's good news as well. Seravalli continued:

To me, that sounds like a guy that is learning. To win in this league requires sacrifice. Whether it be physical or financial. Matthews was clearly hampered by a wrist injury for much of the year and certainly after the first round of the playoffs, so we didn't get to see him at his best. My theory, for what it's worth, is that getting that little taste of success, that one, hard fought playoff series win, felt good. Good enough to change Matthews' thinking. He's already made enough money to ensure that he, his future children and grandchildren will be very rich people. It seems the desire to win is beginning to overtake the desire to make as much money as humanly possible.

It's especially important that it is Auston Matthews doing this. As the team's on ice leader and more than likely their future captain, him taking a discount could encourage Mitch Marner and William Nylander, among others, to do the same. If the three of them are willing to give up some AAV, or sign an extra year or two on their contracts, it would go a long way towards taking the Leafs from hopefuls to true contenders.

You can hear Seravalli's full comments on Matthews here.