After being eliminated Thursday night in the Frozen Four, Matthew Knies has returned to Minnesota where he will contemplate signing with the Leafs or returning to the University of Minnesota for another year of NCAA hockey.
It has been reported over the past few weeks that he has been leaning towards returning for another year of college, which is totally fine for the Leafs, but it does limit what their player development staff can do with him.
Although he has been leaning towards returning to college next season, he has yet to meet with Kyle Dubas and comany. That is expected to happen at some point this weekend and the Leafs are pulling out all the stops, as Rocket Richard leader Auston Matthews will apparently be joining Dubas, Brendan Shanahan and captain John Tavares when the Leafs make their pitch to Knies about turning pro.
As Dreger reported, he is expected to meet with the Leafs in the next 24-48 hours and will likely make a decision shortly after their meeting. Knies would be a great addition to the Leafs forward group given his unique size and skill combination. He has a Matthews-esque build and shot and hits like Tom Wilson. A type of player like that would be an immediate fan-favourite in Toronto.
