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The busy summer for the Toronto Maple Leafs is continuing. The Leafs have re-signed Matthew Knies to a six-year contract worth $7.75 million per year. Now, the former Hobey Baker Award finalist will continue to call Toronto home, in a deal that was a win for both sides in this NHL Free Agency period.
The Maple Leafs had plenty of work to do this offseason. The top line from last year consisted of Knies, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner. The franchise knew they would be losing Marner in free agency, but Toronto worked a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights and brought in Nicolas Roy. They have also acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth and brought back John Tavares.
Knies was a restricted free agent heading into this offseason. The American-born forward was drafted 57th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Maple Leafs. He would spend two seasons playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers before signing his entry-level contract with the Leafs. He would play three games in the 2022-23 season with seven playoff games. Since then, he has continued to grow as a player. In his first full season, Knies would score 15 goals and add 20 assists. Then, this past year, it was 29 goals and 29 assists for the forward.
The Maple Leafs make another great move
Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill just won the Jim Gregory Award as NHL General Manager of the Year for a third straight season. Brad Treliving is doing his best to make sure there is no fourth win. The Maple Leafs GM has already made some great moves this offseason. He made a move to sign-and-trade Marner, allowing the Leafs to get something in return for a player who was about to leave for nothing. Treliving also convinced Tavares and Jake McCabe to return on discounted contracts. He may have snagged great value with this Knies deal as well.
To begin with, Knies was a major part of the offensive attack for the Leafs this past season. He finished fifth on the team in points while also sitting fourth on the team in goals. Further, he was a major part of the powerplay, with five goals and ten assists on the man advantage. He was also a part of the top penalty-killing unit, which was successful last season. Still, it is some of the advanced stats that show the true value of Knies.
Knies saw his IPP, individual point percentage, increase in 5v5 situations this past year. Further, he saw his scoring chances created and high danger scoring converted both increased as well. The former Golden Gopher also saw his already impressive defensive stats improve. His blocked shots and hits given both increased this past season, continuing to show his prowess as a two-way forward in the NHL.
From a financial perspective, this could work out in the long run for the Maple Leafs. The Leafs will still have just under $6 million in cap space to work with to fill out their roster. At a cost of $7.75 million, Knies becomes the third-highest-paid player on the team. Further, he will be with his linemate, Matthews, for at least the next three years. It also locked up four of their top five scoring options from last year for at least three years as well. With the cap going up in the next few seasons, and the former second-round pick at just the age of 22, there should be expected growth. That could make this deal a steal in the third or fourth year.
Final thoughts and grade on the Matthew Knies contract
For the Leafs, they keep five of their top six forwards on the team with the return of Knies. Maccelli will most likely join the top line with Matthews and Knies this year, which will put Knies in more scoring positions this upcoming season. They also have Knies under contract for one extra year than necessary from the Knies' perspective. With this deal, Knies has allowed the Leafs to buy out his first year of unrestricted free agency. With the cap expected to be over $113 million during the lifetime of this contract, the Maple Leafs got great value.
For Knies, this is all about consistency. He did give up his first year of unrestricted free agency, but he does get to stay in a consistent situation for the next six seasons. Further, he is making a contract on par with the one JJ Peterka just signed. Peterka had one fewer goal, but ten more points than Knies this past season, and has shown to be the more consistent offensive threat.
Getting paid in line with a player of the level of Peterka is a win for the American-born forward. If he continues his career trajectory, he will be underpaid by the end of the contract, but he will also be just 28 when he hits the open market and could score a major payday.
Maple Leafs Grade: A-
Knies Grade: B
