Matthew Knies Upside for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Knies looks to be capable of driving the play at the NCAA level, making moves and decisions on the fly when needed.
He can make split-second decisions in order to get the puck in a better position for the offense, and possesses underrated puck handling and creating his own space.
He is not a small guy at 6’3″ and a reported 205 lbs, which would work wonders if he learns how to screen the goaltender for deflection plays (watch Joe Pavelski’s work in front of the goalie. Amazing stuff).
I feel like Knies could be that guy who can score the dirty goals on the powerplay as well. His size gives him, again, a real advantage when it comes to net battles.
This is only possible due to how good his stick handling and hand-eye looks to be along with his size. Think about what Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews could do on the PP with someone like that.
He is not a slow guy, and has the makings of a shutdown forward even if he doesn’t end up scoring a ton in the NHL. He uses his body to stop the rush but he doesn’t throw bodychecks. Instead, he uses his legs to stop his man from getting past him. He seems to have an active stick and efficient body placement rather than smash someone’s head in. While I do like a guy who can do both, sometimes you have to settle for one or the other.
Knies uses his size to his advantage, using his lower body to protect the puck in the o-zone. He also relies heavily on his stick both offensively and defensively. He looks to have a skillset more of a third-line or fourth-line forward at the moment, but anything can happen.
With this said… He does not come without cons.