Matthew Knies has shown plenty of promise in his brief NHL career thus far, and it appears Toronto believe he could be a major asset long-term. The Toronto Maple Leafs are set up for major success in 2024/25, but we've seen over the past 12 months that they have a very bright future as well, with forward Matthew Knies the young player in the organization with the most potential long-term. It appears now that the Maple Leafs front office also sees that too, as he has worn an 'A' at points this pre-season despite being just 21-years of age, showing that he's a potential leader both on and off the ice. Now, top NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman has drawn a conclusion from what he's seeing and hearing in Toronto, speculating that the two parties could be looking at a long-term deal. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHL_Watcher/status/1840878219832049816'> </a></blockquote></div> At just 21, Knies has a very promising future, and after putting up 15 goals and 35 points in his first full campaign at the NHL level, he has the talent and the situation around him to become a star in the league. 2024/25 will be the final year of the former No. 57 overall pick's entry level contract, and after seeing the drama that Nick Robertson went through as an RFA, it makes sense that they'd like to get a deal done. Whether or not that happens before the season, during the season or next summer is still up in the air, the future in Toronto is very bright around Matthew Knies on the teams top line, and if they can figure out the situation with John Tavares and Mitch Marner, this team could be set up for success for a long time to come.