John Tavares Quietly Helped Brad Treliving and the Leafs in a Major Way

Fans were ecstatic when news broke of John Tavares re-signing with the Maple Leafs, as it gave the team a lot of breathing room when it comes to their new roster, and it didn't cost nearly as much as some thought.

Only $4.38-million per season, it's a stark difference from the $7.5-million mark we heard rumors about. But in doing so, it gave Toronto a steady and familiar presence who'll be a Maple Leaf for life.

But it also may have helped set up an even bigger signing.

Only a handful of time later did we see Matthew Knies put pen to paper and sign for a very hefty yet also reasonable six-year, $46.5-million deal ($7.75-million AAV).

It was a signing that stunned Leafs Nation and cast any doubts aside that Knies would drag this into free agency and potentially entertain an offer sheet.

But Tavares taking such a steep discount on his deal gave Brad Treliving enough extra capital to persuade Knies to stick around too.

What's great too is that unlike in previous years where players would try and gouge Toronto for a payday, now we're seeing passion over profit; a huge change in philosophy.

Knies, 23, is such a unique force, that it's hard to argue Toronto made a bad call with this extension.

He scored 58 points in 78 games (29G, 29A) while also adding 182 hits, being one of only three players to hit 25+ goals and 150+ hits joining Brady Tkachuk and Tom Wilson.

His mix of speed, strength, physicality and soft hands allow him to dominate at all ends of the ice and is only going to get better.

Given an even more vital role now with the imminent departure of Mitch Marner, it wouldn't be shocking to see him hover the 30-35 goal plateau and might even hit 200+ hits.

If he can replicate even his past season, while steadily improving in the smaller facets, there's no telling what the future holds for Knies.

But thanks to John Tavares, the Maple Leafs get to figure it out for the next six years.