- Matthew Schaefer says money isn’t the priority whenever his next Islanders contract comes up
- The 18-year-old spoke after Leo Carlsson and Connor Bedard landed massive extensions
- Read below for Schaefer’s full quote and what his next deal could look like in 2027
Matthew Schaefer isn’t sweating his next contract.
The 18-year-old Islanders defenseman got asked about the huge deals Leo Carlsson and Connor Bedard just signed, and his answer was blunt. “I don’t care about the money. I just want to play the game of hockey and that’s what I love,” Schaefer said.
NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy caught up with Schaefer on Monday at the 12th annual Smilezone Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament and asked the reigning Calder Trophy winner what he made of those numbers:
“I’ll let my agent think about that. I don’t need to think about that. I’m still a kid. I’m still a year away from any of that. I love Long Island. We have something so special going on there. I don’t care about the money. I just want to play the game of hockey and that’s what I love. At the end of the day, it’s family and we want to create something super special on Long Island and we want to win the Stanley Cup.”
We tweeted the quote out too, because Islanders fans are going to want to frame it:
Schaefer still has two years left on his entry-level deal and can’t sign an extension until July 1, 2027. When that day comes, he’s in line for a raise that will make these words look quaint.
The market has gone sideways. Carlsson signed an $18 million offer sheet in Anaheim. Bedard took a five-year, $15 million deal in Chicago and said the same thing Schaefer just did about wanting to win over cashing in.
A defenseman who won the Calder at 18 doesn’t come cheap. One agent told ESPN that Schaefer’s next contract is expected to carry a double-digit average annual value, and some around the league think it could climb toward $20 million a year by the time he signs.
None of that seems to be on his radar right now. His own head coach already sees a future captain in him, and the kid is talking about culture and Cups before he can legally negotiate the extension. Islanders fans have waited a long time for a franchise player who says the right things. They finally have one.
