Paul Bissonnette believes Matthew Knies' extension is 'more of a priority' for Leafs than $65,408,000 star

Matthew Knies had a goal in the Toronto Maple Leafs' Game 4 matchup with the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. For the third straight game, the Battle of Ontario has gone to overtime. Toronto won the first two, but the Ottawa Senators staved off elimination by winning the last one.

Knies' performance, as well as his overall play in the playoffs, has Paul Bissonnette making bold claims about his future. He thinks he's more important to keep than Mitch Marner, who is on a six-year $65.4 million contract.

Knies received a ton of praise from Bissonnette on "Spittin' Chiclets."

"That was one of the nicest goals I've ever seen," Bissonnette said on Monday. "Yeah, he was shooting lightning bolts out of his a**... And you said it, the fact that that he was able to fake a backhand, go forehand, and go top cheese, right where grandma hides the v*******s is absolutely bananas."

He called the Knies "incredible," adding that the Leafs have to do "whatever they can" to re-sign him to a long-term contract.

"He is just as much, if not more of a priority to re-sign than Mitch Marner, and at this point, I would say more of a priority, just because his game transfers more over to playoff hockey," Bissonnette said.

Bissonette also praised Anthony Stolarz and Toronto's "big dogs" for their performance. He added that he's pleased with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and William Nylander, and he expects the Leafs to "close it out in five."

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Matthew Knies earns praise from Craig Berube

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one win away from advancing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They nearly swept the Ottawa Senators thanks to a clutch, tying goal from Matthew Knies in Game 4 on Saturday. He took on the defense one-on-one on a breakaway puck and scored.

Matthew Knies scored a goal last time out (Imagn)

Craig Berube had nothing but praise for his star player on Sunday.

"That’s a lot of effort, I’ll tell you, he pulled away," Berube said, via Yahoo Sports. "He’s a powerful guy, and what really impressed me was, it looked like he got in really tight on the goalie, but just pulling that puck back and getting it upstairs. It’s a high-end goal by him. He keeps impressing me, along with impressing everybody in the organization."

Knies and the Leafs will have another chance to close it out on Tuesday in Game 5. The puck drop is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. ET.