Matthew Knies turns down the Leafs

According to multiple online reports, top prospect Matthew Knies has informed the Toronto Maple Leafs that he will NOT sign with the team this offseason and will return to the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the NCAA next season.

Knies and the Gophers have a strong chance at a championship season in 2022-23 and, at just 19 years old, there's still plenty of time for Knies to develop before turning pro. He put up 15 goals and 33 points in 33 games with Minnesota this past season and will be a frontrunner for the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top player next season.

As for Leafs fans... well they're acting like they just received the worst news possible. In typical Toronto fashion, things have been blown way out of proportion but NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports that Knies' decision to decline a contract offer from the Leafs has no bearing on future decisions to join the team.

What's interesting to me is that the team held onto Knies so tightly when his name came up in trade discussions just a month ago and now they won't even get him into the system for at least another year. Remember when Knies' name was leaked as a trade target in the botched Marc Andre Fleury trade with the Chicago Blackhawks? Knies was also rumored to be involved in discussions with the Arizona Coyotes in an effort for the Leafs to land star defenseman Jakob Chychrun.