Kristen Shilton
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to take care of their own as they signed forward Matthew Knies to a six-year extension Sunday, a deal that carries a $7.75 million average annual value. Sources confirmed the finalized details to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan on Sunday afternoon, and Knies later posted news of the extension on social media.
The Phoenix, Arizona native was a pending restricted free agent next month. The long-term deal secures one of the franchise’s top-line skaters from last season and an integral piece of their forward group moving forward. It also allows Toronto to sidestep any concern of an offer sheet being presented for Knies if he were to become a restricted free agent on Tuesday.
The signing comes on the heels of Toronto locking down their own top six center John Tavares over the weekend on a four-year contract that included a $4.38 million average-annual value, showing general manager Brad Treliving’s desire to retain as many of the team’s own pending free agents as possible.
Knies, 22, is coming off a breakout campaign with the Maple Leafs. Skating primarily on the team’s top line Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Knies collected 29 goals and 58 points in 78 games while averaging 18:31 time on ice per game and contributing on the club’s top power play unit and as a critical penalty kill presence. Knies then added another five goals (second-most among Leafs) and seven points in 13 playoff contests. He also became the only Leafs player to ever amass 29 goals and 180 hits in a single season.
Given Knies’ age, the six-year pact should give Toronto some of his best career years. And keeping Knies in the fold will help minimize some of the expected fallout from Marner’s almost certain departure from the club, either via free agency or a sign and trade scenario.
Either way, Knies’ importance to the Leafs’ future could not be understated and the contract reflects both sides’ commitment to making it prosperous.
