Matthew Knies entered 2025-26 as a key Maple Leafs prospect expected to take on a larger role after Mitch Marner left. In 79 games, he recorded 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points, improving from the prior season but not making a major leap. He played mostly on the top line with Auston Matthews, but also shifted to the second and third lines due to team injuries. His plus/minus finished at -30, the worst on the team. He remained a strong power-play contributor with 16 man-advantage points, ranking third behind William Nylander and John Tavares. His possession and chance metrics declined, and he later revealed he played much of the season with a lower-body injury.
"In 79 games of action, the 23-year-old forward registered 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points. However, he also had the unfortunate distinction to own the team worst plus/minus at -30 when all was said and done. Nevertheless, Knies was one of the top power play producers on the team, ranking third behind William Nylander and John Tavares with 16 points with the man advantage."
"This past season, Knies played primarily on the Maple Leafs top line alongside Auston Matthews for the most past. However, due to the Leafs injury woes, he also ended up seeing some time on the second and even third line to help balance out the lineup at times. In doing so, Knies improved from his numbers from the 2024-25 season, but not by much."
"To have one of the best in the game in Matthews as his linemate, one would have expected Knies to have a breakthrough 2025-26 campaign, especially after the departure of Marner. However, the huge jump never materialized and the 23-year-old winger didn't quite own the ice the way Marner did when he was with Toronto. Especially after seeing his CF% fall to 42%, expected goals rate to 43% and scoring chances rate to 44% last season."
Read at Editor In Leaf
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]