With the NHL's Conference Finals in full swing, the Toronto Maple Leafs will soon begin to consider how they will approach their offseason.
After losing Game 7 to the Florida Panthers in the second round and the aftermath, many stones remain unturned, and many questions remain unanswered. Will Mitch Marner, a free agent on July 1, test the open market? Could John Tavares do the same? What's the future with Matthew Knies?
Two of the three players in question have reiterated their want to remain Maple Leafs. During the team's locker cleanout day, Tavares, and Knies, a restricted free agent, expressed their desire to stay in Toronto.
"I want to be here. I want to play here. That's all that really matters to me," Knies said.
"Had positive conversations with Tre (GM Brad Treliving) and Chief (head coach Craig Berube today," Tavares added. "Very optimistic that it can work out where I'm back, but haven't put too much thought into it as it's only been just a number of hours since things have ended."
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Marner, however, didn't give clarity on his free agency plans.
"With our season ending, I haven't thought about anything. I haven't sat down with my wife," the 28-year-old said.
"I haven't talked to her about future or next steps, and like I said, it'll be in the next couple of weeks, we'll do that. We'll start figuring stuff out, but like I said, I've been forever grateful [to play for the Maple Leafs], especially with this group."
Knies and Maple Leafs won't let negotiations get to an offer sheet
After another career year, where Knies scored 29 goals and 29 assists in 78 regular season games, the forward is ready to cash in his chips. The 22-year-old becomes a restricted free agent on July 1, and once that occurs, NHL clubs can send him an offer sheet.
For it to move to the point where Toronto has to match, Knies would have to agree to a contract from another team.
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According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, the Maple Leafs and the forward don't want it to get to that point.
"I don't believe they will let it get there. I think around the trade deadline, when they had to decide whether they were going to move Knies or how they were going to reshape their roster, I think there were some preliminary conversations about what an extension would look like. So I think they kind of know where they're going here," Friedman said.
"Their goal will be to get this done before an offer sheet even becomes a reality. I think both sides want to get it done. But again, it's grind time. It doesn't mean nobody's going to grind here. Both sides are going to grind. But again, I start off with the opinion that there is a will on both sides to extend Knies long term. We'll see where it happens over the next few weeks."
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Knies had five goals — tied for the second-most on the Maple Leafs during the playoffs — and two assists in 13 games in the postseason. The power forward joined Toronto in 2023 after he and the University of Minnesota lost to Quinnipiac University in the NCAA Frozen Four championship.
He has 44 goals and 50 assists for 94 points in 161 regular season games.
Tavares and Maple Leafs need to find the right number
There's no debate on whether Tavares deserves to return to Toronto. He does.
At 34, Tavares nearly scored a point-per-game in the regular season with 38 goals and 36 assists in 75 games. In the playoffs, he was tied with Knies for the second-most goals on the team, behind William Nylander, who had six.
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The scene at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night was eerily familiar.
He accomplished this in his first year without the Maple Leafs captaincy on his chest.
Tavares could command more money on the open market, with plenty of teams likely lining up for his services. However, according to Friedman, a deal between Tavares and Toronto should get over the finish line.
"As long as neither side is unreasonable, you have to believe a deal gets done here," Friedman said.
"Tavares, obviously, can't ask for $8 million a year, and I don't think if the Leafs offer $1 million a year, it's going to work. But there is something here that I think both sides could be happy with, and it's just a matter of getting there."
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Tavares has 31 points — 17 goals and 14 assists — in 51 playoff games with the Maple Leafs since signing a seven-year, $77 million contract in 2018.
Marner's future remains uncertain
With NHL free agency just over a month away, Marner and his family will sit down and discuss what's ahead. The forward could remain in Toronto, the team he grew up dreaming of playing for, or hit the open market and get paid a lot of money.
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While the latter remains the likely route he'll take, it's still not 100 percent, and Toronto reportedly wants clarity on his situation as they prepare for the summer.
"I think, first of all, the Maple Leafs are going to ask for clarity," Friedman said.
"Just where is this going? Is it 100% you are testing free agency on July 1st? Or is there any conversation that can be had here? And that's what I think they'll do, is they'll ask that first and see what the answer is, and go from there."
Marner dealt with a lot this season, especially during a playoff rollercoaster, which featured the ups and downs of games and him being boo'd whenever he had the puck in the third period of Game 7 against Florida.
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It remains possible he returns to Toronto next season, however, with the opportunity to test the open market ahead of him, it appears he could do that first. Unless things change, which can always happen.
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