Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving checked a major item off his to-do list. He signed superstar forward Auston Matthews to a four-year contract extension. Matthews is now the highest-paid player in the NHL and will remain in Toronto past 2024. And, according to Treliving, Matthews was an important driving force in getting this done.

Treliving addressed the media for the first time following the extension on Friday. He spoke highly of the work Matthews and his camp put in toward making this new deal a reality. “This got done because Auston decided he wanted to get it done,” Treliving said, via NHL.com. “That's the reality.”

This extension represents Treliving's first major move since joining the Maple Leafs as general manager this summer. Of course, he is no stranger to making bold moves. Just last season he helped orchestrate the Matthew Tkachuk trade between the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers.

This move is clearly something the Maple Leafs needed to do. Matthews is a major part of Toronto's roster and crucial to their success. If they want to win the Stanley Cup, they needed to keep the 25-year-old around.

“We spent a lot of time going at it since I've got here but it gets done because Auston says, ‘I want to get it done, I want it to be a non-issue and I want the focus to be where it needs to be and that's on winning and putting all our energies on the ice,'” Treliving said, via NHL.com. “At the end of the day, he made that decision and to me it's a sign of leadership.”

Matthews and the Maple Leafs begin their 2023-24 season on October 11. Toronto hosts an Atlantic Division rival in the Montreal Canadiens before welcoming the Minnesota Wild on October 14.