#2 Matthew Knies
Age: 21
Height/Weight: 6’3 210 LBS
Position: LW
Shoots: Left
Draft: 2nd Round. 57th overall, 2021
For the second year in a row, Matthew Knies is the second best prospects in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
This is definitely the last year he will appear on this list, because he is a going to get every chance to stick in the NHL this year.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team that hopes to content, and they are confident using Matthew Knies on their second line to start the season. There is even a good chance he’s the team’s first-line left-winger by the end of the season. He already is their best winger, because, while Tyler Bertuzzi is good, he’s also overrated.
Knies has incredible upside and is the Toronto Maple Leafs best chance at replacing the value that Michael Bunting was bringing for the last two seasons at $900 K. When paired with Matthews and Marner, Bunting, at least at 5v5, was putting up Franchise Player level numbers. If Knies can do even half of that, the Leafs will be happy.
But his absolute top-shelf ceiling might just be a Franchise Player who doesn’t have to play with other Franchise Players to be one. That’s a long shot, but being a 30 goals, star power-forward is not.
In other words, he’s not likely to become Matthew Tkachuk, but it’s not impossible.
Knies looked great in the playoffs last year. His numbers backed this up. He is an unstoppable force with the puck, and he protects as well as veteran hall of fame bound players.
The only question about Knies right now is if he’s a great complimentary player or a superstar. He is going to be fun to watch.