Toronto Reporter Shares Wild Hot Take Regarding Maple Leafs Winger Matthew Knies

The Maple Leafs failed to complete the sweep against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, but will have another opportunity to close out the series on Tuesday back in Toronto.

While the Leafs did not clinch the series on Saturday, the game was full of some exciting moments, but perhaps none more so than Matthew Knies' breakaway goal, which can be seen below.

Knies has really taken his game to a whole new level during these Stanley Cup Playoffs, and that's after having taken a significant step during the season. In fact, hockey analyst and popular podcaster JD Bunkis has suggested that the Leafs no longer have a "Core 4", because the core of the team now firmly includes Knies as well.

There was an even more wild suggestion on the same segment of Saturday's "Leafs Talk" podcast, but not one coming from Bunkis. Sportsnet's Justin Bourne actually suggested that, if he was building a roster and had a choice between power forwards Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Knies, he'd probably take Knies.

Naturally, Bunkis and co-host Sam McKee were dumbfounded, proclaiming that they'd select Tkachuk, and it's a no-brainer. However, Bourne stuck to his guns.

Knies may be younger than Tkachuk, but he still has a ways to go before he's on the same level. That's not to say that he can't get there, but he's certainly not there just yet.

Still, it's interesting that we're even having such a conversation. It just goes to show just how far Knies has come in such a short amount of time.

The Leafs nabbed a good one when they selected Knies in the 2nd round back in 2021. The pending RFA is due a new deal, and judging by the season and playoffs that he's had so far, his next deal is going to be a very, very big contract.