Maple Leafs News: A Snag Has Developed in Matthew Knies Negotiations

With Mitch Marner essentially a thing of the past for the Toronto Maple Leafs, undoubtedly their biggest priority this offseason is getting breakout star power forward Matthew Knies, a restricted free agent, signed to an extension. It was thought to be a fait accompli. And yet, here we are, just 12 days away from free agency kicking in, and no deal yet.

This has left many in Leafs Nation a bit nervous. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos in the Toronto Star wrote on Thursday that there's a snag in the negotiations:

A few eyebrows are being raised with no announcement of a new contract for RFA Matthew Knies as we inch closer towards July 1. Some early indications point to a very large ask by the Knies camp and the Leafs could be reluctant to give in at this point. It may also indicate a new philosophy on being tougher when it comes to handing young star players money and term like the previous regime.

A "very large ask" could be something close to the... what, $8 million or $9 million range in AAV? Perhaps the Knies camp has gotten wind of the possibility of other teams willing to submit offer sheets of at least that much to try to poach the young star away from Toronto.

How much will Matthew Knies get on his next contract?

AFP Analytics projected Knies coming in at a seven-year deal at $7.2 million AAV. But they clearly weren't taking the offer sheet possibility into consideration.

Nick Alberga of Leafs Morning Take is also hearing that the two sides are "far apart." Yikes.

With the #NHL Draft just around the corner & July 1st looming, I'm told the Leafs & Matthew Knies are currently far apart in contract talks.

That said, both sides remain optimistic on finding common ground in the coming weeks.
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) June 19, 2025

It was thought last month that the real sticking point in getting a new deal done would be the term: Knies is only looking for a three-to-five-year deal, while Toronto wanted to get him locked up for the full eight years. But now this new revelation of the asking price throws another disturbing wrench into the proceedings for the Leafs.

Knies broke out in his second NHL season this year with 29 goals, while adding 29 assists for 58 points while handing out 182 hits, while averaging 18:31 ice time. All of those numbers were significant increases over his rookie numbers.