While everyone's been focused on the Mitch Marner and John Tavares contract situations, there's another story quietly developing that Leafs fans should be paying attention to. Matthew Knies just became a restricted free agent, and while that usually means a player stays put, this situation might be more interesting than it first appears.
Let me break down what's happening here. When a player becomes a restricted free agent, the team they currently play for basically holds the cards. If another team wants to sign Knies, they have to make an offer that the Leafs can match.
Knies has been clear about wanting to stay with the Leafs. He's said that he, Marner, and Tavares are all on the same page about remaining with the team. Which is good to hear if you're a Leafs fan, especially coming from a 22 year old who just had a breakout season with
29 goals and 58 points playing alongside Auston Matthews and Marner.
But here's where complications arise. Brad Treliving, the Leafs' general manager, wants to get a deal done quickly, which tells you everything about how valuable they consider Knies to be. The problem is that other teams have noticed his potential, too, and some of them have serious money to spend.
Chicago, for example. Is sitting on about $40 million in salary cap space and has multiple high draft picks they could use as compensation. They need a player who can complement Connor Bedard, and Knies might just be the right player for the job. Utah is another team to watch; they have over $20 million in cap space and could easily fit him into their lineup.
What makes this difficult is the money involved. Experts are suggesting Knies could command around $7 million per year on a long term deal. That's no small amount of money, but it might be a bargain considering what he brings to the table.
Craig Berube has even compared him to NHL legends like Keith Tkachuk and John Leclair. Those are the kinds of comments that make agents' eyes light up when contract negotiations start.
The timing of all this matters too. Knies has said he expects his contract situation to get sorted out during the summer, which is when teams typically make their biggest moves. With the salary cap going up next season, teams have the chance to make more aggressive offers.
The good news for Toronto is that they have about $26 million in projected cap space next year, which gives them plenty of room to keep Knies. They also have the advantage of being able to match any offer another team makes.
But theres a catch. Sometimes teams make offers so high that it forces hard decisions. If someone offered Knies $8 million per year, for instance, the Leafs would have to decide if that's worth it or if they'd rather take the draft pick compensation and use that money elsewhere. Knies has said he won't sign an offer sheet with another team, but players have changed their minds before.
The reality is that Treliving needs to get this done before free agency officially begins. Knies isn't just another player anymore, he's now an important part of the Leafs' plans. The question now is whether both sides can come up with a price that works before other teams start making offers.