Matthew Knies' $7.75-million cap hit is a steal for the Maple Leafs yet in The Athletic's recent list of best deals, he was nowhere to be seen.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have to feel thankful that not only did they get Matthew Knies locked up long-term last season, but they did so on a very big bargain at only $7.75-million per year. Compared to other deals around the league, it's a fraction of the cost and Knies is expected to be a part of both their win-now window and as part of the future.
But there are also some other deals that end up looking pretty good in hindsight as well, and The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn put together a list that ends up ranking some of the best deals in the entire league.
Dom Luszczyszyn's model doesn't account for what Knies has done - only what he'll do
Rated based off his own metrics (player net rating combined with his expected salary equation), Luszczyszyn revealed his Top-10 list of players in the NHL with several top names littering the rankings with names like Lane Hutson, Jake Sanderson, Brandon Hagel, Jackson Blake and Mo Seider rounding out the Top-5.
Now, it's an extensive breakdown as to why each player makes the list, but essentially it boils down to how those players are expected to perform and how their true value ranks compared to their contract. With Hutson playing at a value of $22.5-million, basically - he's worth every penny of his $71.2-million extension.
It's less about the hits, points, and goals that Knies has scored and more about what he's projected to offer overall as a top-line player.
Players like Jarvis and Blake are both roughly around Knies' age meanwhile Hagel has been an elite two-way player just coming off an 85-point season firmly in his prime. Tampa knew what they had long before he emerged, and it's why his deal will appreciate so nicely.
Knies' deal is better than anything on Toronto's books however
Just because Knies didn't make the cut on Luszczyszyn's list for best deals in the NHL doesn't mean that it's not a good contract. Toronto has a legitimate star locked down for less money than players like Jesper Bratt ($7.875-million), Nick Schmaltz ($8-million), and Pierre-Luc Dubois ($8.5-million) - all who are older and offer less than Knies.
Plus when you look at Toronto's forward contingent, the only one who even comes close to Knies' type of deal is John Tavares, but he took his hometown discount to play out his career in Toronto and it's a much different situation than signing a 23-year-old.
William Nylander makes $11.5-million, Auston Matthews makes $13.25-million, and then it's Knies as the third-highest paid forward. But when you look at who is under him (besides Tavares) then it's your average fare. It's $2-5M dollars per year for the bottom-six, but there aren't any other bargain deals like Knies'.
Technically you could count Gavin McKenna's deal though he hasn't played a single second yet so there's no clear way to determine his value until he does.
But you're not going to find another player on the Maple Leafs who can give you 20+ goals, 50+ points, 150+ hits under the age of 25 and signed until 2031 besides Matthew Knies and that's a wise investment in the present and the future for Toronto.
Is Matthew Knies' contract the best valued one on the Maple Leafs?
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