The Leafs got great value out of Matthew Knies’ extension

The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up one of their top young talents for an extended period of time, at a solid number as well.

On Sunday, the team announced that it has signed forward Matthew Knies to a six-year contract extension. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher is going to have an AAV of $7.75 million through the 2030-31 season.

It’s a great deal for the Leafs, who have seen Knies grow from an energetic rookie to one of the most consistent offensive threats in the lineup across two full seasons in the NHL. This past season, he posted an impressive 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points in 78 games, finishing fifth on the team in scoring.

On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Matt Larkin discuss why Knies’ contract is good for both the player and the team.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I like this. I feel like Matthew Knies is getting the best of both worlds…You’re getting yourself $40 million bucks, so you’re kind of in the whole ‘set for life’ thing now. You got your one big contract. For the Leafs, you got a little bit of term here, and some stability going forward…there’s a chance 7.75 becomes of value by year two. 

Matt Larkin: To me, Matthew Knies – I really see a career trajectory that reminds me a lot of Chris Kreider, both guys came out of the college route. Both guys are really fast and agile for big guys. Both guys were dropped into the playoffs to start their careers. Both are net-front monsters. Chris Kreider peaked as a 50-goal scorer. I do think Knies has the ability to get there. He’s that talented. Maybe, once in his career, and I’m saying that might be the peak.

I think this is great value. If you factor in a couple years from now, $113 million [salary cap], it’s the equivalent of if he was making $6 million right now. So, I think the value is absolutely fair, and he’s just a unicorn of a player. There aren’t that many of those power forwards in the NHL. 

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…