Ex-Leafs GM Drops Bombshell About Sophomore Winger Matthew Knies
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski - Imagn Images
Former Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has dropped a bombshell on how close Matthew Knies was to playing on another NHL team.
In just his second full season in the NHL, Toronto Maple Leafs sophomore Matthew Knies has started to blossom into a star and a legitimate power forward before our eyes.
The 22-year-old forward has all the intangibles of becoming a top-tier power forward in today's game with his mix of offensive abilities, speed, and physicality. We saw that first hand in Game 4 when he beat a defender to a loose puck in the neutral zone to get in on a breakaway before beating Linus Ullmark with a deceptive shot.
Knies was selected by the Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft but came very close to falling into the hand's of former Leafs GM Brian Burke when he was posted in Pittsburgh.
"He's a great physically gifted player... he's got great foot speed for a big man, he's growing in front of our eyes and improving as a hockey player almost daily... the aggravating part for us in Pittsburgh is we were going to pick Matthew Knies with the next pick. We told our scouts to put in Matt Knies and Toronto took him with pick before us... That's really aggravating."
With the 57th pick overall, the Leafs snatched Knies out of the Tri-City Storm of the USHL with Burke and the Penguins forced into taking Tristan Broz with the next pick at 58th.
Knies has the most points out of all players selected in the second round from that year and ranks 9th overall in his draft class with Dallas Stars pivot Wyatt Johnston leading the way.
Knies has fit in perfectly on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner as well as the top unit of the power play as the Maple Leafs' net-front presence alongside the rest of the core members.
Heading into restricted free agency, Knies has proven he is more than capable of handling a massive workload and that the lights of the playoffs aren't too bright with 3 goals in just 5 contests.
Look for the sophomore to make an impact again as the Maple Leafs prepare for their 2nd round series against the Florida Panthers.
With the 57th pick overall, the Leafs snatched Knies out of the Tri-City Storm of the USHL with Burke and the Penguins forced into taking Tristan Broz with the next pick at 58th.
Knies has the most points out of all players selected in the second round from that year and ranks 9th overall in his draft class with Dallas Stars pivot Wyatt Johnston leading the way.
Knies has fit in perfectly on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner as well as the top unit of the power play as the Maple Leafs' net-front presence alongside the rest of the core members.
Heading into restricted free agency, Knies has proven he is more than capable of handling a massive workload and that the lights of the playoffs aren't too bright with 3 goals in just 5 contests.
Look for the sophomore to make an impact again as the Maple Leafs prepare for their 2nd round series against the Florida Panthers.
| POLL | ||
MAI 2 | 3582 ANSWERS Ex-Leafs GM Drops Bombshell About Sophomore Winger Matthew Knies On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate Matthew Knies' performance during the first round of the playoffs? | ||
| 0-3 | 69 | 1.9 % |
| 4-6 | 441 | 12.3 % |
| 7-9 | 2240 | 62.5 % |
| 10 | 832 | 23.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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