Maple Leafs' Matthew Knies Speaks Out on His, Marner & Tavares Futures in Toronto

One RFA and two UFAs. The Toronto Maple Leafs have three huge extension decisions to make before July 1. Up-and-coming star Matthew Knies, the RFA in the group, isn't concerned, and, speaking on behalf of his veteran teammates, says that the three of them all want to stay in Toronto, and that they'll all "figure it out" together.

Matthew Knies says that he, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares want to stay with the Leafs

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Knies told Jonny Lazarus of Daily Faceoff:

“I’m sure [Marner and Tavares are] getting a lot more attention for it, but I think they’re on the same page as me. I don’t think we’re worried about it; we all want to stay, and we’re all going to try to figure out how we can manage to all stay here.”

Marner and Tavares, of course, have been through the contract wars on more than one occasion in their decorated careers, but for Knies, contract negotiations like this with big money on the line are a first for him.

“I’m new to it, but I can’t say I’ve thought about it too much,” Knies said. “There’s not many games left until the playoffs. I think that’s something that’s going to get figured out in the summer, and that’s when I can put more thought into it.”

Knies is continuing to grow into a tremendous player for the Leafs, now playing on the top line with Marner and Auston Matthews. In his second full season with the Buds, he's up to career highs in goals with 22 and points with 38, along with playing just over 18 minutes a night. He's also got a plus/minus rating of +3.

Still just 22, Knies was Toronto's second-round pick in 2021, is coming off his entry-level contract this summer and should be in line for a hefty raise.