5 Moves the Toronto Maple Leafs Management Should Make Now

Move Matthew Knies Onto the Top Line

This one seems to be a no-brainer to everyone except Sheldon Keefe.  Matthew Knies is one of the top 6 forwards on this roster, despite having played a very limited number of NHL games.

So why waste his abundant talents on the third line?

Although Knies and Max Domi have started to show a bit of chemistry, Knies would be a much better fit alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner than Calle Jarnkrok, who is currently filling that role.  Jarnkrok hasn’t been terrible, as he is a hard working 2-way player with a bit of offensive ability, but the Matthews line hasn’t been were the Leafs need it to be ever since Jarnkrok joined it.

But Knies is already learning to use his size and strength to win puck battles along the boards, generate turnovers and use his awareness to find an open teammate.

Not to mention the fact that he has a hard, accurate shot and a motor that doesn’t quit.  It’s obvious he’s going to be a special player, so why not see what he can do with an extended run on the top line?

The second line doesn’t really need any boost at this point, as William Nylander appears to be at the top of his game and John Tavares is also piling up the points.

Although Tyler Bertuzzi looks a bit lost out there (as he did with Matthews/Marner), Knies would have more of an impact replacing Jarnkrok than Bertuzzi.

The Toronto Maple Leafs top line benefitted greatly from having players such as Zach Hyman and Michael Bunting to support Matthews and Marner.  Matthew Knies is similar to those players except that he has much superior offensive talent.