The 2025 Stanley Cup Final is over, but the season of dealing with player contracts and free agency certainly isn’t.
With Mitch Marner’s decision to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs looming in the air, the Toronto front office’s next biggest priority is power forward Matthew Knies. Knies, a 22-year-old, is a restricted free agent. His last contract was for three years and around $2.8 million with a cap hit of $925,000 per season.
With NHL free agency starting on July 1 and an extension still not in sight, it appears the Maple Leafs and Knies have hit a snag in negotiations.
According to Dave Litman with NHL Trade Rumors, there is a possibility that Knies and his agent have gotten wind of high offers from other teams.
How Much Is Matthew Knies Worth?
AFP Analytics projected Knies coming in at a seven-year deal at $7.2 million AAV. This is significant because the Maple Leafs have $25,709,001 in projected cap space and a projected cap hit of $69,790,999.
🚨 Now officially in the offseason and with July 1st on the horizon, contract talks between the Leafs and Matthew Knies are reportedly “still far apart.”
However, both sides remain optimistic that a deal can be reached in the coming weeks.
— @thegoldenmuzzy #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/VvxqGbonvy
— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) June 20, 2025
Apparently, Knies is only looking for a three-to-five-year deal, while Toronto wanted to get him locked up for the full eight years.
Knies’s current agent is Matt Federico of O2K Worldwide Management Group, LLC.
In only his second season in the NHL, Knies broke out as a power forward with 29 goals while adding 29 assists for 58 points. Knies recorded 182 hits, all while averaging 18:31 ice time.
Knies was the No. 57 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
His rookie season was impressive. He had 58 points (29 goals, 29 assists), which included his first NHL hat trick (with two assists) in a 6-4 win against the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 4. Because of his efforts as a rookie, Toronto reached the Eastern Conference second-round playoffs.
Matthew Knies is a restricted free agent and if offer sheeted is likely in the circled area. Knies is a top 6 forward who plays a heavy game who can also score coming off a 29G 29A 58Pt season. If there is any chance he is available, Sabres HAVE to take a run at him either trade… https://t.co/ZmKYR3zAuA pic.twitter.com/yWSzFNLWOv
— Sports Talk Buffalo (@Sportstalkbuff1) June 20, 2025
Another reason why he is seeking an AAV so high is because of the numerous accolades he earned while playing NCAA hockey at a powerhouse, the University of Minnesota. He was the 2023 Big Ten Player of the Year and was also placed of the NCAA (West) First All-American Team that same year.
Oooffff. He played for the Univ. of Minnesota.