An unknown pick by another GM, Matthew Knies is flying with Maple Leafs
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For all the guff Kyle Dubas took as the fired general manager of the Maple Leafs, he did leave something very good to remember him by.
While the loss of first-round picks will be lamented in failed playoff chases resulting in just three draft selections in 2021, one of those, at 57th overall, was a lanky, college-bound USHLer.
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An unknown pick by another GM, Matthew Knies is flying with Maple Leafs Back to video
Dubas let 6-foot-3 winger Matthew Knies bake at the University of Minnesota and, when his national title dream ended in his sophomore season, the GM carved out just enough cap space to sign his entry-level contract.
Not long after, Knies was more than 220 pounds and wowing the Leafs at development camp.
“He’s a big boy,” assistant GM and camp counselor Hayley Wickenheiser said at the time. “We want him to dominate every time he steps on the ice. Physically, he’s very imposing, he’s got a great shot. He needs to continue working on his skating and mobility.
“Every time he’s on the ice, he can make an impact on the game in key moments.”
The wide-eyed rookie insisted that “once I’ve matured myself as a player, I think that’s when I can make the step and give the Leafs a boost, try to make them a better team.”
Fast-forward to Wednesday night in Tampa, Year 2 of Knies’ NHL journey, helping Toronto’s fast start in a vital game for the division lead.
When the Lightning rallied, Knies provided a go–ahead goal and, after a high-risk, between-the-legs pass to Morgan Rielly didn’t work in overtime, he stayed with the play and completed his second career hat trick and 29th marker of the season.
All three goals derived from driving to the blue paint, as a complement to shooter-playmaker linemates Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
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“The whole reason for his success is his competitiveness,” coach Craig Berube told media in Tampa. “It’s really, really high end. He skates through people all night, gets in on the forecheck and wins battles.”
The previous Leaf with a walk-off OT hat trick was Mats Sundin in 2006, when the captain scored his 500th NHL goal short-handed. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
“I came in here not knowing a whole lot about him,” new coach Berube said. “You see him at camp and at the start (of the schedule), but he’s grown tremendously through the season.”
Of more than 40 Leafs hat tricks since October of 2009, Knies was the first since Niklas Hagman to augment his three goals with a roughing minor. Knies had earlier grappled with Bolts defenceman Erik Cernak, declining to get into what sparked it.
“He was in my face,” Knies said with a shrug.
Knies has had two career fights, including picking one with Vegas’ Zach Whitecloud this year after a heavy hit that knocked him from the Toronto lineup for a few games. He’s now about to exceed last year’s 45 minutes in penalties.
For Knies’ team, Wednesday’s hard-earned 100th point put it three up on second-place Tampa Bay, in great position for home-ice advantage no matter if the Lightning, Florida Panthers or wild-card Ottawa Senators are their first-round foe.
“We did a great job shutting down their best players,” Knies noted of Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov and another Leafs-killer, Brayden Point. “It’s the kind of effort we’ll need in the playoffs, to provide those big moments.”
As the post-season tournament approaches, what’s known as the Core Four — Matthews, Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander — is becoming the Fulcrum Five, with Knies due a significant raise next year when his ELC morphs into restricted free agency.
Especially if he keeps willing himself with inside positioning for rebounds and tips. While fellow Arizonan Matthews also is a physical presence, he’s more inclined to use his stick and stealth to create turnovers rather than his body as Knies does to separate the puck from the puck-carrier.
Knies occupies an interesting position in the Leafs dressing-room layout, both at the practice rink and Scotiabank Arena. His stall is on the fringe, whereas veterans and captains are grouped in the middle to be seen by all, but he’s closest to the interview backdrop to watch proceedings and often bends an ear to see how seniors handle media.
Thus, he has become quite comfortable in that milieu, in a scrum or 1-on-1, mixing hockey and humour with no hubris. After pointed criticism of his team’s play in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Florida, he backed it up in Tampa.
“He’s just a confident person in general,” Matthews said. “He has a pretty good idea of who he is and what makes him successful, and he really leans into that. He’s got a big personality and all the guys on the team really get a laugh out of him. He brings great energy into the room every day.”
Now to the playoffs, where his two goals against Boston last spring were second only to Nylander’s three.
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