Toronto Maple Leafs youngster, Matthew Knies, will require a new contract at the end of this season. The 22-year-old will become a restricted free agent (RFA) in the summer. Earlier this season, there were many reports and rumours regarding Knies’ contract situation. The diagnosis of this whole thing is that the Arizona native and his team are in no rush to jump the gun on a contract.
With that being said, Knies has been off to an excellent start to the season. In 16 games played, he’s scored 7 goals and 10 points. This puts him on pace to score over 50 points and 35 goals. In Tuesday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators, he will become the ninth player of the 2021 draft class to play 100 NHL games. With how he’s been playing, it makes sense for him to wait out the season before putting pen to paper. This way, general manager Brad Treliving will have no choice but to sign him to a nice contract.
Contract Comparables for Knies
On the Real Kyper & Bourne show at Sportsnet, Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne were skimming over the class of 2025 RFAs. The two hosts got to Knies and immediately made comparisons to the 2022 first-overall pick, Juraj Slafkovsky. There are many differences between the two wingers, such as age and development. However, there are major similarities, such as their roles with their respective clubs. They both play a top-line role, despite their inexperience. Also, they have nearly identical body types and physiques. According to NHL.com, Knies and Slafkovsky are both 6-foot-3 and only a two-pound difference between them. Comparing the two makes a lot of sense.
However, the biggest difference, and maybe the most important is their contracts. Knies is in the last year of his entry-level contract. Although Slafkovsky is also in the final year of his ELC, he earned a new deal for the 2025-26 season. Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes inked him to an eight-year deal, allowing the Slovak to make $7.6M per year. Both Kypreos and Bourne believe that Knies could earn something along those lines, maybe even push to $8M AAV. Kypreos went even further to say that if he was the general manager of the Maple Leafs, he would not accept a one-for-one Slafkovsky for Knies trade.
Other Comparables for Knies
There are also other comparables to Knies. For example, Dylan Guenther of the Utah Hockey Club. He was selected in the same draft as Knies but was selected ninth overall, nearly 50 picks ahead of Knies. Guenther is also a different type of player than Knies, but the age and time in the NHL are similar. While playing six games less than Knies, Guenther has scored 16 more points. Again, they are different players but that might help the Leafs in negotiations to keep the price lower than the Slafkovsky comparable. Guenther was signed to an eight-year extension like the Habs forward but will earn just over $7.1M. This could help Treliving keep the cap hit below $7.5M at least.
Many hockey analysts like to make another comparison with Knies. However, it’s not a contractual comparison, it’s an on-ice comparison. There’s been a lot of discussions about how Toronto’s youngest player could turn into a version of Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers. They both share similar styles of play. Both have a physical side of their game, they also thrive on crashing the opponent’s net looking for rebounds and screening the goaltender. Kreider is a former 52-goal scorer, if the Leafs can get something anything close to that in Knies, they’d be pleased, to say the least.
Main Photo Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images
