As he continues to break Leafs records and become a more complete player, it's no surprise that Auston Matthews is significantly outperforming his contract. Currently, his cap hit is just over $11.6 million and, by all accounts, he has been worth every penny since he signed it. This season however, he is not just outperforming it, he is shattering it.
At this season's pace, where he is projected to have finished with 71 goals and 121 points in an 82-game span, his projected market value if he were to sign a new contract is DOUBLE what he is currently being paid. Yes, you read that correctly - his projected market value right now is $22.1 million.
If you take a look at The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn's graph below, Matthews is in the top percentile in every aspect of his game aside from his defense, but even that is not far off from being in the top percentile either. For comparison and all you «Draisaitl is better» folks out there, Draisaitl's offense in Dom's most recent graphic of him was at 6.6 (Matthews 31.6) and his defense was at -4.5 (Matthews 15). They're not even close to one another.
There should be no debate about who's better in all facets of the game today. Both are great players, but at 5-on-5, Matthews is far superior and his projected market value shows it. The Hart Trophy belongs Toronto this season. The debate is over.
