The Toronto Maple Leafs would love to re-sign Matthew Knies to a long-term contract. Leafs GM Brad Treliving would prefer to get the 22-year-old re-signed as soon as possible. However, it's Knies who holds the leverage right now.
The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signing Knies long-term is a no-brainer for the team. Doing it now would cost them less than doing it later in the season or in the summer. Knies is young, but he wasn't born yesterday. He knows that playing on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will help him improve upon last season's stats.
Last season, Knies registered 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in 80 games. Playing with Matthews and Marner could propel Knies into becoming a 25-30 goal scorer and registering 50 points. Doing so would increase his value. Playing the waiting game could come with a big payday for Knies if he's patient and waits until the summer to re-sign. (All stats from hockey-reference.com).
A good comparable for Knies could be Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres. Cozens registered 31 goals and 37 assists for 68 points in 81 games during the 2022-23 season at the age of 21. He then signed a seven-year deal worth $49.7 million with a $7.1 million AAV. With the potential for 25-30 goals and 30-40 assists this season, Knies could be in the $6 million or $7 million range by the end of the season. All salary cap information from puckpedia.com).
Knies is the Toronto Maple Leafs future
Matthew Knies has looked really good so far this season. He has one goal as of Tuesday morning, but his ice time has gone up from 13:41 last season to 18:33 this season. His Corsi for percentage (CF%) is 64.4%, which indicates that the Leafs are controlling the puck 64.4% of the time when Knies is on the ice.
Early indications this season show that Knies is becoming a Craig Berube guy. New head coach Craig Berube likes what he sees from Knies, and Knies is being rewarded for it. The fact that Knies can contribute offensively and also play a physical style of game is some Berube, Treliving, and Leafs fans like to see.
The sky is the limit for Knies, as his pro career is just getting started. I hope to see him remain a member of the Maple Leafs for a long time. We'll see if he re-signs soon or in the summer. My bet is on him waiting and maximizing his value.