Matthew Knies has emerged as one of the breakout players of the early 2024-25 campaign, and his teammates were more than happy to rave about the burgeoning 22-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs power forward on Wednesday.
Knies recorded a goal and an assist in Toronto’s 4-0 victory over the Boston Bruins, and has registered seven goals and nine points through the first 14 games of the season. He’s been promoted to the team’s top power play group, where he’s proving to be a menace in the net-front role.
“He’s an unbelievable guy, hilarious guy, he’s just stepped up his game a lot,” Leafs winger William Nylander said to Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin. “I think he’s matured in his game [as] a great power forward winger, in front of the net when he is making plays. He’s very strong on the puck and winning pucks back and then finding the guys that are open.”
Knies is eligible for a contract extension and is slated to become a restricted free agent in 2025. He’s certainly driving his value up throughout the season and he’s certainly making the most of playing with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on the Maple Leafs’ stellar first line. He’s pacing towards a 40-goal campaign and has exceeded the level of production required to thrive alongside two all-world forwards.
“I get more confident in each game,” Knies said. “As the season goes on, obviously, I’m playing with some incredible players, it just gives me confidence with the puck. You’re getting to see those minutes and those opportunities. I’m very fortunate for it, so I’ve just got to keep working and keep pushing to stay in that spot.
Knies may be emerging as a star in a year where the Maple Leafs haven’t found their usual offensive flair through the opening month and change of the season, and he’s using his unique combination of size, speed, physicality and scoring touch to bully opponents, working his way to the net-front constantly.
“He’s obviously a beast,” Marner said of Knies on October 16, prior to the Maple Leafs’ 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. “He’s a big fella. I think he’s really done an unbelievable job in that role that he’s been put in. I don’t think it’s easy for a guy to come out of college. He’s got those unbelievable skills to do 1-on-1 things. Obviously, sometimes playing with Auston and I, it’s a lot of times when we want the puck in our hands to try to make plays. He’s done an unreal job of just being around the net, being down low, winning his 1-on-1 battles, getting pucks back for us and getting right back to the net. When he’s needed to, he makes those plays.”
The maturation of Knies’ game has been one of the best stories of the Maple Leafs’ season to date and he’s more than earned the respect of his peers, as the bridge between the team’s current Cup-contention window and the future of the franchise.
