Can Matthew Knies Be Toronto Maple Leafs Biggest Deadline Move?

The Toronto Maple Leafs may still need to add to their top-six, but do they already have that player in the system?

Matthew Knies is the No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs forward prospect and could be ready for the NHL as soon as the playoffs start. Instead of trading for someone, could Knies be the biggest deadline acquisition for this team?

Standing tall at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Knies is the perfect prospect. He obviously has size, but more importantly can score. Based on his skillset and birth place (Born in Phoneix, AZ) Knies has continued to be compared to Auston Matthews over the years, which is high praise for the 20-year-old.

If Knies truly had Matthews’ talent, he already would’ve been a 40-goal scorer and Calder Trophy winner in the NH by now, but it’s a nice comparison to have.

As the Leafs look to add at the NHL Trade Deadline, players such as Bo Horvat and Timo Mier have been rumored, but their contracts are expensive. Sure, the team could find a way to make it happen, but they’re still cap-strapped and why shake up a roster that has the second-highest points in the NHL?

Knies Could Be the Toronto Maple Leafs Biggest Trade Deadline Move

Knies has 12 goals and 23 points in 22 games played with the University of Minnesota this year and is currently on the second-ranked team in the NCAA. As a result, his team should make the Frozen Four Tournament and contend for a title.

Even if Knies wins a NCAA title, the last game of his season would be on April 8, which is one week before the NHL season ends. As a result, Knies could jump from Minnesota to the Leafs and still be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs.

That may seem like a big transition for a college player to play their first NHL game in the playofs, but we’ve seen it before. Cole Caufield and Cale Makar both went straight from college to the NHL playoffs and performed admirably.

Caufield had four goals and 12 points in 20 playoff games, while Makar had one goal and six points in 10 games.

It’s not impossible for Knies to make the leap, but it would still be a lot to ask for.

Regardless of that being a big step, the Leafs should 100 percent insert Knies into their playoff line-up when the time comes. A player such as Knies’ talent can not only provide skill and scoring opportunity but could inject some life into a team that just played 82 regular season games.

A young and exciting player such Knies playing alongside one of the core-four could really spark this team and give them the extra boost they need to finally win a playoff round.

Also, the biggest thing with adding Knies to the line-up is that you can do it without penalty. As everyone knows, the playoffs don’t have a salary-cap, so him playing for the team won’t penalize them.

Since Toronto knows that Knies can essentially join them for “free”, in the playoffs, that may also free Kyle Dubas up to make a big splash at the NHL Trade Deadline, knowing that if that player somehow doesn’t work out, he has Knies waiting in the wings.

That would be the best case scenario for the team, so hopefully Knies is healthy and ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, because he could be a big addition to the Leafs this year.