Maple Leafs' Treliving: Knies 'just realizing how big and strong he is'
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If the Carolina Hurricanes wanted Matthew Knies in a trade with the Maple Leafs involving Mikko Rantanen, we now know why Toronto didn’t move the young winger.
“You can see a power forward developing right in front of us,” Leafs general manager Brad Treliving told media in Denver on Friday afternoon.
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“He’s just maturing into his body. His game is maturing. I think Matthew is just realizing how big and strong he is. He’s getting more comfortable, growing right in front of our eyes.”
As coach Craig Berube settles on his lines heading into the playoffs, Knies continues to cement his left wing spot on the top line with captain Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Scoring 24 goals in 58 games — on pace for 34 goals over 82 games — will do that. Ditto for the physicality that Knies brings.
“He’s a unique player,” Treliving said. “That’s a big, strong man at 22 years old, and developing different parts of his game. You see what he’s done on the power play, net-front, developing an edge to his game. Added an element the other night into his game (when Knies fought Zach Whitecloud of the Vegas Golden Knights off the opening faceoff).”
Rantanen wound up going to the Dallas Stars for a package that included 22-year-old centre Logan Stankoven.
We’ll see if Treliving eventually is proven right on Knies, though the path that the Phoenix native is on seems rather clear.
And had the Leafs pulled the trigger on a Rantanen trade, and assuming they signed him to an extension, what would that have meant for the future of Mitch Marner? We probably know the answer.
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