With the NHL playoffs likely to start in less than six weeks, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe continues to tinker with his lines to find the best combinations possible before the games become much more meaningful.
One of his most recent moves was taking Leafs rookie Matthew Knies off the top line and having him play on the third line alongside David Kämpf and Bobby McMann on Saturday night in Montreal. Knies and McMann, in specific, showed a tremendous level of chemistry with one another.
It's easy to say that this trio were three of the best players in Montreal and really set the tone with the McMann goal. They brought a lot of heavy pressure and hard forechecking to the game, and made it tough for the Canadiens players to defend. On Monday afternoon on The Kyper and Bourne Show on Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne both had some great points to make on Knies in his new role:
Having Knies on a line without Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner allows Knies to play more confident with the puck and will allow him to shoot the puck more, which could, in turn, improve his production. He is still young and learning the game at the NHL level so this could be a blessing in disguise. To be fair, this may be the spot he should have been in all along.
