Matthew Knies Agrees to Six-Year Contract Extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthew Knies and the Toronto Maple Leafs have been negotiating a new contract for weeks ahead of July 1st. While both sides were far apart, they have finally found common ground.

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Leafs and Knies have agreed to a six-year contract at an AAV of $7.75 million. This means the total deal is worth $46.5 million.

There was a huge debate centered around whether or not Knies would sign a bridge deal or a long-term contract. Clearly, the forward has opted for something in between.

At a cap hit of $7.75 million, the Leafs will have a ton of value during the back-end of this deal, while Knies certainly wins the first half.

Regardless, after a season in which he had 29 goals and 58 points, there is no denying that the sophomore forward deserved this kind of contract.

With John Tavares locked up as well, general manager Brad Treliving has completed his two biggest re-signings of the entire offseason.

Now, the Toronto Maple Leafs can focus on free agency, which is set to begin on July 1st. It is here where they will seek to sign some big-name players.

They have plenty of targets right now, including guys like Brad Marchand and even Aaron Ekblad. Meanwhile, they are trying to complete a sign-and-trade with the Las Vegas Golden Knights for Mitch Marner.

It has been an eventful start to the offseason for the legendary franchise, and fans are going to be very happy with some of these moves.

That said, the job is not finished, and fans are expecting a whole lot more going forward.