Matthew Knies Ready to Breakout For the Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthew Knies has all the makings of a Toronto Maple Leafs fan favourite, if he's not already.
The Toronto Maple Leafs most-likely-to-breakout player is 6'3", steps up his game in the playoffs, and still just 21 years old.
Matthew Knies burst onto the scene during the late parts of the 2022-23 season and was one of the Toronto Maple Leafs most consistent players during that postseason, including scoring his first NHL goal.
With a full NHL season now under his belt, Knies is now ready to improve his game even more this coming year, and no one should doubt him.
Matthew Knies Ready To Breakout For the Toronto Maple Leafs
While Knies was not an immediate star in the NHL like some assumed he would be, he still put together a solid first season in the show. 15 goals and 35 points in 80 games for a late second-round pick who was 20 years old when the season started is not bad at all.
Knies finished under water in puck-possession and expected goals, but the Leafs did win his minutes in the regular season. Then, in the playoffs, for the second season in a row, his Expected Goals Rating rose above 50%, making him a very helpful member of the team.
However, now the rookie year is behind him, and expectations for the Arizona native will be even higher. But in all honesty, a 20-goal, 50-point season is not out of the question for Knies - in fact, if he rides shot-gun with Auston Matthews all year that would be somewhat disappointing.
With Tyler Bertuzzi gone, Knies will likely have a role in the top-six for the entire season. While he did have some time with the big boys during the year, he was used throughout the lineup to see what worked. This year, his spot will be secure.
Another thing with Knies is his confidence.
After being the only player on the Leafs aside from William Nylander to score more than one (yes, one) goal in the whole playoffs, Knies has to be feeling much better about himself come October.
Regardless of how he does next year, however, Knies is going to be an extremely valuable member of this team.
He's still just 21 and has already proven himself to be a key member of this Leafs team.
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I'd bet Knies easily topping 20 goals and 50 points this year. No doubt.