NHL insider drops concerning update on Matthew Knies’ future with Maple Leafs, quotes possible contract figure

The Toronto Maple Leafs are having a hard time finding some common ground with Matthew Knies, one of their top forwards, whom they selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft.

Knies is a restricted free agent, meaning that if he goes on the open market, he can sign with anyone. The catch is that Toronto has the chance to match any offer he signs and keep him, but they'd prefer to sign him on their own terms.

However, they've hit a wall on that. NHL insider Frank Seravalli said:

"My understanding is they cannot come to an agreement on term ... and it's impossible to even get close to a framework of a deal without first narrowing in on a term length that's acceptable for both parties ... If I were to say 3 by $7 million, does that sound reasonable?"

The Leafs just re-signed John Tavares to a team-friendly deal, so they still have the cap to work something out. With Mitch Marner all but assured of leaving in free agency, Knies is their priority.

But if the two sides can't come together on how long the deal should be, everything else falls apart. Often, a shorter term means higher AAV, and some longer contracts sport lesser salaries to offset it. Seravalli thinks the former might happen, but there's been no progress as of yet.

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Former NHL star lays out plan for Matthew Knies

Former NHL player turned analyst Paul Bissonnette has an idea for how to proceed with Matthew Knies. The ex-player is a big fan of the Maple Leafs, and he believes they should get this deal done.

Matthew Knies is an RFA (Imagn)

He said via Pro Football and Sports Network:

“I would be okay to get it over and done with, that if they just locked Knies in and gave him like a quote-unquote bridge at a five-year, $8.5 million deal."

The analyst added:

“Because my understanding, if he does get to July 1st, that someone’s probably going to offer him that eight-year, $10–10.5 million and then Toronto is going to be forced to match and then voila – all of a sudden we have our new Mitch Marner."

With Marner virtually guaranteed to leave in free agency, Knies has a big role to step into.