Leafs Nation Has New Reason To Love Matthew Knies Following Latest Comments
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers Imagn Images
Matthew Knies joined the Spittin' Chiclets podcast on Monday, revealing the main motivation behind getting a deal done with the Leafs so quickly this summer.
The Maple Leafs and Matthew Knies made fans very happy when they agreed on a six-year extension worth $7.75M per season before July 1st.
Prior to signing the extension, there was wide belief that the 22-year-old was going to be heavily targeted by offer-sheets, which is why Leafs GM Brad Treliving wanted to get something done ahead of free agency.
Matthew Knies Has Revealed Why He Prioritized Signing an Extension Before Free Agency
Getting a deal done to avoid the threat of an offer sheet might have been the Leafs' top priority, but for Knies, it had nothing to do with offer-sheets and was about putting the team first -- which he revealed on Monday's episode of Spittin' Chiclets.
"I wanted to be long-term and that was just the number that fit for both of us and had the opportunity to do it before free agency so they could start making some moves. We settled on a number that made us both happy and made it easy on them so they could get to work in free agency and focus on the rest of our team." said the Arizona native.
Knies appeared to confirm that his primary goal was to get the deal out of the way to give the Leafs a clearer picture of what they could add in free agency -- a far cry from the antics of Mitch Marner, who had dragged his previous contract talks into September before finally agreeing to a 6-year extension in 2019.
Spittin' Chiclets co-host Paul Bissonnette called it a 'hometown discount' and Ryan Whitney emphasized that the former second-round pick could have gotten way more from an offer sheet, but Knies surprised both of them when he called it a fair deal.
"I think it's very fairly compensated. I've only played 2 years in the NHL... For me not being that experienced of a player, I'm extremely happy with it. I'm very fortunate they invested a lot of years and money into me so I could be happier. Still got six years to work my ass off to make it worth their money."
Entering his third full NHL season and first of his new contract, Knies is going to be looked upon to build off of his 29-goal, 58-point sophomore season while also picking up more on the defensive side of the puck.
In aiming to make the U.S. Men's Olympic team, Knies and the Leafs are hoping he gets off to a great start when the regular season opens on Wednesday.
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