Logan Cooley Reportedly Turns Down $77M Deal as Maple Leafs Fans Thank Brad Treliving

Days before the regular season's start, a major contract decision by one of the league's top youngsters has surprised many around the league.

According to reports, Logan Cooley turned down a massive extension that would have netted him $9.6 million annually for eight-years, taking the Mammoth's young star through his prime.

Insider Frank Seravalli reported that Cooley turned down the potential extension from Utah, with the 21-year-old a restricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season.

The decision by Logan Cooley to turn down Utah's contract offer shows that the two sides are not close in terms of a deal for their young star.

With the Mammoth looking to close down what would be their first major youth signing, and their likely future franchise face, they will need to head back to the drawing board for the time being.

Cooley had 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) last season for Utah in 75 games played. Cooley is entering his third season in the NHL, having played for Arizona & Utah, drafted by the Coyotes third overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

The Pittsburgh native is second in scoring among the draft class with 109 points, three points back of first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, but in 43 less games played.

According to Seravalli, the NHL's salary cap growth may be one reason that the contract was turned down by Cooley's agent, noting that that $9.6M deal could end up as «a bargain» as massive gains to the cap is expected to rise heavily in the next few years.

On the likelihood of an extension, Seravalli says that he does not expect Cooley to extend before the season opens, and says that he hasn't heard of any traction towards a new deal, although he believes this is a transaction Utah wants to be able to get done.

The rumored numbers for a Logan Cooley extension have been a sigh of relief to the Toronto Maple Leafs who have gotten their top youngster netted to what is looking more to be a reasonable deal.

Toronto signed Matthew Knies to a six-year deal at $7.75M annually, a number that if done this year could go well past that, potentially nearing the $10M range.

Knies, 22, had 29 goals and 58 points in 78 games last season, the Leafs youngster managing to be a bonafide top-line option in only his second full season with Toronto.

While Knies doesn't possess the same upside as his former college teammate Logan Cooley, a deal for a Knies comparable in a year or two could well surpass the money dished out to him, with a rising cap making for what would be nearly $8M today extend closer to $8.5-9M perhaps.

Fans have noted the value in the Knies deal vs. the rejected Cooley number, a contract that already looks to be a major bargain for Toronto without it having yet taken effect, with one fan saying "The Leafs are lucky" for getting Knies done for what in a few years will be cheap.

The Matthew Knies extension is looking like a bargain for Toronto with a rising cap allowing for massive growths for young players salary wise, and the Leafs have lucked out getting their key youngster signed before a contract like his becomes valuable in the coming years.

If Logan Cooley is able to have a breakout season and become one of the game's premier talents, he can make a deal like Matthew Knies not only look like a bargain, but a steal.