Maple leafs GM opens up on short-term deal for Auston Mathews

You're talking about one of the world's best talents. And in the situation he was in, he could come in and demand a whole lot more than what he got. And that's just the reality.... To me, it was a partnership more than it was a negotiation.

I'd go back to that word I used earlier, «balance.» You're absolutely right.

A guy once asked me, on a contract I was working on, «Are you close?» I said, «Yeah, we are getting there. There are only two issues We just got to figure out the term and the money.»

That is all there is in these contracts. Two things: term and money. They're intertwined. To me, we found that balance there.

You have to look at the landscape we are in. You have to look at the player. Where is the cap going? We all think and hope there is growth and significant growth over the next while.

It's about trying to find that balance where it all fits and works for the player and you can continue to have flexibility to build around our best player. It works hand-in-hand. We just felt throughout this process that we landed on a spot where there was balance — balance in the number of years.

This contract is a big contract, but I remember his last one, too. People thought, «What is going to happen after?» We will deal with that when the time comes, but he just signed another contract.

Auston reiterated throughout the process that he is committed to the team. He is committed to the city. We landed on a spot that felt right and worked for everybody.