What Would Motivate Auston Matthews If Money Didn’t?

Here's an interesting thought experiment. Take money completely out of the Auston Matthews equation. Forget the next contract. Forget whether a great season might add a few million dollars to his next deal. Forget all of that. What would motivate him then?

When Matthews is making $13.25 million, what’s a couple of million more?

Because I have a feeling the money might actually be one of the least interesting answers. Matthews already makes $13.25 million a season. At some point, another million or two doesn't change your life. What might matter more is what that money represents. So here are three things I believe Matthews, being human and all, would be motivated by:

Being worth the money is different from the money itself. If I were Matthews, I'd want to know that I was actually worth the money the Maple Leafs are paying me. Not because somebody is keeping score of the dollars, but because elite athletes tend to measure themselves by something other than the size of their bank account.

So here's the thought experiment. If money disappeared, what might still get Matthews out of bed every morning?

Motivation One: Pride.

I’m thinking that pride might be Matthews’ biggest motivation. Matthews has been told for years that he is one of the best players in hockey. Then he has had two seasons that, by normal NHL standards, were pretty good — but by Auston Matthews standards, weren't close to what we've seen from him.

I wonder if that bothers him. Not because somebody criticized him. Almost the opposite. People keep telling him, You're still really good. You’re having a good season, even if it isn’t by your own standards.

For an elite athlete, that kind of reassurance can almost be worse than criticism. Criticism gives you something to fight. Reassurance can lower the bar. Maybe Matthews wants to get out of that mushy middle and find out just how good he can still be.

Motivation Two: Leadership.

The Maple Leafs have made it pretty clear that this is Matthews' team. That's not just a nice thing to put in a media guide. It comes with responsibility. There is a different feeling when the organization builds around you and essentially says, Okay, you're our guy. Take us somewhere.

Maybe Matthews wants to answer that challenge. Not with a speech. With his game. John Chayka has built a team around Matthews, with an implicit sense of responsibility to lead it to success. If I’m Matthews, to do anything less than lead this group would be an embarrassment.

Motivation Three: Legacy.

This one is harder to measure, but maybe it's the biggest of all. Matthews has won the Rocket Richard Trophy. He's won the Hart Trophy. He's scored 69 goals. But he hasn't won the Stanley Cup. Years from now, that's going to be part of the story.

Maybe the motivation isn't another dollar. Maybe it's the simple question every great athlete eventually has to ask: What do I want people to remember about me?

The bottom line for Matthews.

Even though fans and analysts talk about his next contract, I don’t think it’s the money. And perhaps that's a much more powerful motivator than money. Because at some point, the question isn't How much am I worth? It's How good can I be?