Matthew Knies Officially Extended by the Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have done some tidy work this past weekend after first extending John Tavares to a very team-friendly 4-year extension before partaking in the NHL Entry Draft, where they added several intriguing, big-bodied prospects.

The next bit of business that needed to be taken care of was extending RFA-to-be Matthew Knies. There were several rumours over the last few weeks that both sides were stalled in extension talks, but Elliotte Friedman has now confirmed that the two sides have agreed to a 6-year deal worth $7.75 million per season.

With just a few days to go before free agency, it was absolutely paramount that the Leafs got both deals done -- primarily Knies, who had the potential of being offer-sheeted. With Tavares and Knies now in the books, the Maple Leafs should have slightly above $13.5 million to play with come July 1st.

Knies enjoyed a fantastic sophomore season that saw him net 29 goals and 58 points in 78 regular season games after a 35-point rookie campaign. He later added 5 goals and 7 points in 13 post-season contests and was a key fixture on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

Look for the Maple Leafs to now focus all their attention towards the potential sign-and-trade involving Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights before big-game hunting on July 1st for marquee free agents like Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad.