Reporter Identifies a Crucial Mistake that the Leafs Have to Avoid Making At All Costs
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving is going to have a busy summer negotiating, but in doing so needs to avoid making the same mistake Kyle Dubas made with Auston Matthews.
As much as the Leafs wanted to get a jump on new deals for their pending free agents, with the playoffs beginning this weekend, those talks are going to have to wait until the off-season.
Many believe the biggest priority is making a decision on Mitch Marner, while others believe it is Matthews Knies who should be prioritized to avoid any potential of offer-sheets.
The last time the Leafs had to negotiate with restricted free agents, former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas was taken full advantage of with Auston Matthews, Marner and William Nylander all negotiating their deals to walk them into free agency.
That mistake ultimately costed the Leafs millions of dollars in cap space and in his latest 'Leafs Mailbag' Sportsnet's Luke Fox noted that it is crucial the Leafs avoid doing that with Knies while touching on how Marner's future ties directly to the length of deal Knies may get from the Leafs.
"If Marner walks, the odds of going long-term with Knies go up. If Marner stays, Treliving is telling assistant GM Brandon Pridham to bust out the calculator and figure out how many years of Knies to buy. We'd want to go deep if possible...What the Leafs should not do is walk this kid straight to UFA, which is what they did with Matthews."
Knies does not have arbitration rights yet, which is something the Leafs have to keep in mind should they go with a shorter deal. The 22-year-old wants to be in a Leafs jersey for a long time, and in a way, the length of his contract should not be tied to Marner's decision.
Either way, the Arizona native is in for a substantial raise this off-season after tallying 29 goals and 55 points in 76 games thus far in his sophomore season.
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