Matthew Knies continues to be a massive draft steal for the Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a few hundred selections in NHL Draft history. Some have gone on to have illustrious careers, such as Darryl Sittler, who has 1121 total NHL points. Among the newer era of players drafted by the Leafs, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly are the main pieces who have done well so far in their respective careers.

However, one draftee is currently on a tear for Toronto, showing just what he's capable of doing. That player is Matthew Knies.

Selected 57th overall (second-round, 25th pick) in 2021, Knies currently has 120 career points (50 goals, 70 assists) in 184 games played. He played three regular season games in the 2022-23 season, due to spending the majority of the season playing for the University of Minnesota. In those three NHL games played, he recorded only one assist. In his first look at playoff hockey that season, he tallied four points (one goal and three assists) in seven games played.

Knies followed that up during his first full NHL season in 2023-24, where he recorded 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 80 games played, putting him in the top 10 for those respective categories. He then had a career year last season, where he improved much more on the score sheet by getting 58 points (29 goals, 29 assists). He was fourth on the team in goals, sixth in assists, and fifth in points. It's worth noting that he has done this while playing on the top line with Matthews.

In his playoff career so far, Knies has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 27 games played. His best playoff performance to date happened last season, where scored five goals and got two assists to get a total of seven points in 13 games played.

His production earned him a good payday this past summer, as he inked his name to a contract of six years, $46.5 million.

However, Knies' production on the scoresheet is, of course, relative to his actual production on the ice. Knies is a big guy, standing at six-foot-three, 232 pounds. His size alone makes him successful and is just what the Leafs' roster has been craving for the past few years. He particularly excels near the crease and below the goal line, not afraid to get in front of the net with the hope to pounce on a rebound or deflect a shot in.

Knies can also use his size to help him in a fight, which he took part in on March 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights, dropping the gloves with Zach Whitecloud. He has also fought in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 16, 2023, that time dropping it with John Ludvig as a response to a hit on Max Domi.

The Leafs have been waiting for a player of Knies' calibre, a player who can help out on the score sheet, and a player who uses his size to his advantage. So far this season, he has 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 23 games played, which makes him second on the team in assists and third in points.

Despite the fact that Knies, the recently turned 23-year-old, is still early in his NHL career, he has made quite an impact, solidifying himself as a true power forward. It's still quite early to determine what the young man will become in the NHL. For now, he is doing great for the Leafs, making him underrated and a possible steal of his draft class. With no doubt, Toronto took the risk and selected him, which has worked out well for them so far.