"After a breakout season that saw him set career highs across the board, all eyes are now on rising power forward Matthew Knies as he prepares to take on a much bigger role in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup. With Mitch Marner now in Vegas, a significant gap has opened up in both production and leadership, and the expectation is that Knies must help fill it."
"After signing a long-term extension with the Leafs early in the offseason, the young winger has joined Auston Matthews and William Nylander as the team's most indispensable forwards. Knies' development over his first two full NHL seasons earned him his wealthy new deal. Now, production is expected and counted on. The Maple Leafs' group of top-six forwards has taken a hit, and the pressure is on Knies to deliver."
"In just two years, Knies has gone from a solid prospect to one of the best power forwards in the league. He scored fifteen goals during his rookie year in 2023-2024, then almost doubled it, scoring twenty-nine goals during the 2024-2025 campaign. Last season, he was one of just three NHL players to register twenty-five-plus goals and one hundred and fifty-plus hits. Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators and Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals were the others."
Matthew Knies emerged into a key Maple Leafs forward after consecutive NHL seasons of rapid development and increased production. He scored 15 goals as a rookie in 2023-24 and 29 in 2024-25 while combining heavy physical play with defensive reliability and penalty killing. He was one of three NHL players with 25-plus goals and 150-plus hits last season, joining Brady Tkachuk and Tom Wilson. With Mitch Marner now in Vegas, Knies faces greater expectations to supply scoring, leadership, and playoff elevation. His poise, work ethic, and temperament indicate readiness to handle a larger role in Toronto.
Read at Editor In Leaf
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]