Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates with William Nylander #88 after scoring the game winning goal against the Boston Bruins to win the game 2-1 in overtime of Game Five of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The expectation this summer is that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be going through some massive changes on their roster, considering the high possibility they lose both Mitchell Marner and John Tavares, who are both expected to hit the open market. Some fans are concerned about whether or not the Maple Leafs will be able to sign pending restricted free agent (RFA) Matthew Knies to a new contract before free agency opens, but according to a recent report, the two sides made progress on a new contract during the season.
Knies, who is 22 years old, scored 29 goals and added 29 assists for 58 points through 78 games this season, which comes out to a 0.74 points-per-game average. In his career, he has scored 44 goals and added 50 assists for 94 points through 161 games, which comes out to a 0.58 points-per-game average. His playoff stats aren’t bad either, as this season, he scored five goals and added two assists for seven points thorugh 13 games. In 27 career playoff games, he has scored eight goals and added six assists for 14 points, which comes out to a 0.52 points-per-game average.
Now, there aren’t many trustworthy reports that give a solid idea of what a new contract for Knies will look like, but, it’s safe to say the Maple Leafs would likely want to get a long-term deal done and lock him up for eight years. However, it’s possible with the salary cap going up for the next few seasons that Knies would prefer a bridge deal that allows him to bet on himself and cash in on a bigger contract down the line if he continues to improve at both ends of the ice.
If it’s a short-term deal, I can see the contract coming in at $6.75 million annually over three seasons, but if it ends up being a long-term deal, I can see the contract coming down a touch to about $6 million over eight seasons. Insider Elliotte Friedman doesn’t believe the two sides will have many issues getting a deal done, but it will be interesting to see what a new contract ends up looking like for the young forward.
Maple Leafs Will Look to Replace Marner
With the possibility of losing an offensive powerhouse like Marner, the Maple Leafs will have to look to replace him and spend big in free agency this summer. Bringing back Knies will be a huge help considering how well he fits with their team and how impactful he has been since joining their team, but they can’t risk not trying to bring in another player who can provide scoring at the same level as Marner.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser are more affordable options and both of them have proven they can provide an immense amount of offensive production. While Marner is looking for around $14 million annually on his next contract, neither Ehlers and Boeser will ask for even $9 million annually, making them stronger options and gives them more cap space to continue filling out their depth as they try to remain in contention next season. Time will tell if they are able to bring in either star forward, but I would be surprised if they didn’t try.
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