Toronto Maple Leafs sign Knies to hefty $46.5-million six-year contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up a significant piece of their future.
With just a few days to go before free agency, the Maple Leafs have locked up pending-RFA Matthew Knies to a six-year contract extension that carries a cap hit of $7.75 million. The new deal will pay the 22-year-old forward a total of $46.5 million and will run through the 2030-31 season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman broke the news on social media on Sunday evening.
6x$7.75M https://t.co/OQ9CroKnW6
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 29, 2025
Knies was originally a second-round pick of Toronto back in the 2021 NHL draft. It took him a few years to make the NHL, but he has not disappointed. His first full season saw him post 15 goals and 35 points in 80 games back in 2023-24.
The Arizona native then had himself a breakout year last season, notching 29 goals and 58 points in 78 games. Knies also added five goals and seven points in 13 playoff games.
He wasted no time in celebrating the new contract, posting to his Instagram before the deal was officially announced by the team.
matthewknies/Instagram
Getting Knies locked down to a long-term deal was one of the more pressing pieces of business that Toronto had to get done this summer. Having the young winger continue to develop into a reliable goalscorer should help soften the blow of losing Mitch Marner in free agency.
There are still a few more RFAs that the Leafs will have to decide on shortly, including Nicholas Robertson and Pontus Holmberg. Toronto is also expected to be busy on the UFA market, with Brad Marchand being a potential target if he makes it to the free market.
GM Brad Treliving will have a bit of cap to play with as PuckPedia is projecting the Leafs to have about $13.5 million in space after the Knies deal.