Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving got an important piece of business done this evening, locking up restricted free agent Matthew Knies to a six-year deal with an average annual value of 7.75 million dollars.
This was one of the top priorities for the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason, with many viewing Knies as a potential offer-sheet target.
Last season, we saw Knies continue to take meaningful steps in his development. During the regular season, the 22-year-old played in 78 games, scoring 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points. He was also fantastic in the playoffs, scoring five goals and two assists for seven points over the 13 games the Leafs played.
He scored big-time goals but suffered an injury near the end of Round Two against Florida, which took a noticeable toll on him.
Great deal for both sides
Knies is such a unique player in this era of the NHL. He is a true power forward who can produce, and that type of player is at a premium around the league. At a young age, we're seeing Knies realize how strong he is and use it to his advantage throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.
The reporting on this contract situation was a little bit ridiculous, with some people speculating this deal could reach an AAV of 10 million dollars if the term was seven or eight years. This deal is only six years, but the AAV is more than fair at just under eight.
This contract is pretty comparable to the JJ Peterka contract that was just signed. That deal was for just five years at an AAV of 7.7 million (salary statistics from PuckPedia.com). Peterka produces a little bit more offence but Knies makes up for it with the physicality he brings.
Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Knies' camp wanted a shorter-term deal, so locking him up for six years at under eight million dollars a year is huge. With the salary cap expected to skyrocket in the near future, this deal should look better and better.
With Tavares and Knies now locked up to their deals, the forward core is beginning to take shape. Marner is going to leave but it is still unknown whether Treliving will complete the rumoured sign-and-trade with Vegas.
With the Marner deal incomplete, there is still a hole up the middle for the Leafs, as well as a spot available on both the left and right wings. With so much happening not just the Leafs but across the rest of the league it's hard to know which direction the team will go.
It will be a fascinating couple of days coming up for the Leafs, which will set the expectations for the first season removed from the 'Core 4' era, but Treliving is starting with two fantastic deals.