No more justifications for the Toronto Maple Leafs to sign Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner

The Toronto Maple Leafs have run out of justifications for not extending the contracts of Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner. Each player has shown their worth. In the absence of Auston Matthews, Marner in particular has emerged as the de facto leader.

Marner’s goal in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night demonstrated his genuineness. Knies is no different. Since the days of Dave Andreychuk or Gary Roberts, the Toronto Maple Leafs have lacked a power forward like Knies. It was anticipated that Knies would have a breakthrough year. To date, he has not let us down.

The Leafs have no justifications for not paying Marner and Knies, though, for another compelling reason. Insider Elliotte Friedman predicts that the NHL’s salary cap will increase in the upcoming season. At the moment, the cap is $88 million. The increase next year might raise the threshold to between $95 and $97 million.

That’s an increase of $7 to $9 million. There is enough cap room to accommodate Knies’ and Marner’s raises. Additionally, the Leafs may have sufficient of salary space to sign free agents or a top-tier goalie if John Tavares signs at a slightly reduced price.

The Toronto Maple Leafs ought to simply compensate Marner and Knies.

The Leafs’ refusal to accept Marner’s asking price was reportedly one of the main causes of contention during the summer negotiations. Rumor has it that Marner wants a salary that is comparable to Auston Matthews’.

In fact, I believe Marner has earned the leadership during the past three weeks if the Leafs hadn’t given it to Matthews. In either case, the Leafs must pay Knies and get over the red tape.

Knies might receive between $5 and $6 million a season from the Leafs. In the following five years, the cap will climb even more, which might dilute the contracts of Matthews, Marner, and Knies and make them appear like deals.