Maple Leafs Confident Star Forward Staying Put

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in for a ton of change this offseason, but at least one key name should be seen as a priority to keep around. Matthew Knies is set to be a restricted free agent, giving the Maple Leafs the first chance to offer and sign their young start to a huge contract extension.

Despite the Maple Leafs having first dibs on Knies, plenty of discussions and rumors of an offer sheet have emerged. Other teams would have a ton of interest in the 6-foot-3 22-year-old if he was available, but the Maple Leafs are confident things won’t get to that point.

According to James Mirtle of the Athletic, the Maple Leafs believe they will get Knies signed to an extension before any kind of offer sheet nonsense emerges.

“The Leafs remain confident they will get Matthew Knies inked to a reasonable second contract without any offer-sheet drama,” Mirtle says.

Knies is likely going to sign a big contract with the Maple Leafs, and it’s an earned one. In 78 games this past season, he scored a clean 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 total points.

Over the course of his 161-game career, Knies has 44 goals and 50 assists for 94 points and a ton of room to progress and improve his game.

Knies has also proven more recently that he can add playoff production to his list of skills. In 27 career playoff games, he has 14 points (8G-6A).

The Maple Leafs won’t be afraid to open their pockets and pay Knies, not only for his skill and development as an NHL star, but also to avoid the headaches of dealing with an offer sheet.