With a four-year, $53 million US deal, the Maple Leafs make Auston Matthews the highest-paid player in NHL history.

With the signing of a contract, Auston Matthews will become the highest-paid player in the NHL.

And now the Toronto Maple Leafs can finally breathe easy, as can their supporters.

The star center committed to the team that selected him first overall in the 2016 NHL draft by signing a four-year, $53 million US extension on Wednesday. The deal will run through the 2027–2028 season.

With an average yearly value of $13.25 million, the contract will surpass Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 AAV to make Matthews the highest paid player in the league starting in 2024–25.

With one season remaining on his current deal, which is a five-year, $58.2-million deal signed in February 2019, Matthews could have entered unrestricted free agency the following summer.

“I’m grateful that I get to continue on this journey.”