One of the more NHL-ready prospects in the league, Matthew Knies was eliminated in the NCAA frozen four playoffs last night, in a crushing 3-2 overtime loss to Quinnipiac.
This means Knies is eligible to join the Leafs, but the transaction may not be as simple as it looks on paper.
The Leafs are notably on thin ice when it comes to the salary cap, which was made more obvious than ever last night when they only dressed one NHL goaltender, and Knies is another contract with another cap hit.
Thus, Dubas is getting very creative.
Per CapFriendly, the following sequence of events is in motion in order to fit in Knies:
Unfortunately for Knies, there will be no opportunity for performance bonuses if he wants to join the NHL team, but as a 20-year-old NCAA prospect, he probably wasn't going to get much anyways.
It is likely that Wayne Simmonds, who had what is almost certainly his last game in the NHL last night, will be sent back down to the Marlies today, and then Matthew Knies will be free to join the team.
With only one dressed goalie, Joseph Woll can equally be brought up as an emergency callup, which will maximize both the Leafs' cap situation, and roster quality.
With a flat cap, transactions aren't easy, but Kyle Dubas always finds a way!
As Read on HockeyFeed - Dubas orchestrating a plan to bring in Knies
POLL | ||
Do you think Matthew Knies will make the team for the playoffs? | ||
Yes | 480 | 69.2 % |
No | 214 | 30.8 % |
List of polls |