In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs have officially signed Matthew Knies. What’s next for the heavily-touted prospect? Meanwhile, Jason Demers was sent back to the AHL after making one final appearance for the Edmonton Oilers. What now for the veteran defenseman? Is Jonathan Toews hanging up his skates or just hanging them up with the Chicago Blackhawks? Finally, might the Washington Capitals hold onto Evgeny Kuznetsov and try to make one more run with their current group?
Maple Leafs Sign Matthews Knies
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed prospect forward Matthew Knies to an entry-level contract, according to multiple sources, including TSN’s Darren Dreger and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The team officially announced the hiring as well, confirming that his average annual value is $925,000.
CapFriendly provided more details on the contract specifics and noted that he’ll receive $832,500 in base salary, $92,500 in signing bonuses, and $80,000 in minors salary each season of the three-year deal. He will be a restricted-free agent in 2025.
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Auston Matthews said of the signing: “Been a pretty big prospect for us for a couple of years now so it will be fun to see what he’s all about … It’s going to be fun to get to know him a little bit better & see him in this atmosphere.” It is expected he might see some time in the playoffs, but if he does, it will be in a limited role and to ease him in versus putting too much pressure on him early.
Jason Demers Leaning Towards Retirement
The Oilers announced on Sunday that Jason Demers is heading back to Bakersfield of the AHL following his 700th game in the NHL this past weekend. He was called up to the main roster to play against his former team the San Jose Sharks and while Cody Ceci was away for the birth of his child.
Demers played around 11 minutes and outside of a costly turnover in the first period, looked solid. However, the Oilers were never going to be keeping him on the roster and this was merely a gesture to get him into his 700th game before likely retiring. It’s believed he will hang up his skates in the NHL after the season.
The Oilers are getting props from players around the league for how they made sure Demers got in one more game and there’s talk that this is the kind of thing that veterans notice when looking at a team in free agency.
Jonathan Toews Expects He’ll Play Elsewhere Next Season
As per a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, Jonathan Toews is likely to end his run with the Blackhawks’ organization this season, but it doesn’t sound like he’s ready to call it a career. After 15 seasons with the Blackhawks, the 34-year-old center is an unrestricted free agent who thinks he could be playing elsewhere next season.
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Ben Pope writes of his last few games this season:
To deem it his farewell tour, period, might be going too far. He thinks it’s still possible he will return to play somewhere next season, if only because he hasn’t reached the point of deciding whether to retire. But he thoroughly thinks this week marks the end of his tenure with the Hawks.
source – ‘Jonathan Toews planning to ‘soak in memories’ during last two Blackhawks home games’ – Ben Pope – Chicago Sun-Times – 04/09/2023
As for where he’ll sign and who will be interested, that’s another story. The veteran hasn’t looked lost since returning to the lineup, but there are risks associated with offering him a contract. He’s had a long run of health concerns and any team that signs him will have to know missing games is a real possibility. It’s likely he would need to sign a league-minimum deal for a chance to win with a contender and take a more limited role.
Capitals Might Keep Kuznetsov
Despite rumors that Evgeny Kuznetsov is unhappy and that the Capitals might explore the idea of a trade this offseason, Dan Rosen of NHL.com writes, “I think the Capitals would trade Kuznetsov if they can get good value in return for the 30-year-old forward” but that his low production means this isn’t the best time to trade him. He adds, “Instead, my guess is [Alex] Ovechkin, [John] Carlson, [Nicklas] Backstrom, Kuznetsov and [T.J.] Oshie stay together at least for next season and the Capitals continue to work around them to try to put together a playoff-caliber team.”
Rosen suggests there will be changes, but they will be on the outside and with depth pieces in an attempt to give this group one more shot. He explains:
“Maybe Mantha gets traded. Maybe Wilson does. I don’t think you can rule it out because his contract expires after next season. But the Capitals are not tearing it down and it’s hard to do an invasive surgery to the roster with the contracts they have signed and the history the greatest player in team history is embarking on.”
