The Toronto Maple Leafs signed former University of Minnesota player Matthew Knies to a three-year, entry-level contract with an average annual value of $925,000, the team announced Sunday. Coach Sheldon Keefe said Knies will make his NHL debut Monday against the Florida Panthers. Here’s what you need to know:
- Knies, a standout forward in college, was selected by the Maple Leafs with the No. 57 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
- The 20-year-old was voted Big Ten Player of the Year, named Big Ten First-Team All-Conference and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
- The Maple Leafs (47-21-11) sit second in the Atlantic Division.
🖊 We’ve signed forward Matthew Knies to a three-year, entry-level contract
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 9, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What makes Knies’ game special?
Knies is a prototypical, old-school power forward who thrived off using his 6-foot-3 frame to overpower defenders and get to the net for the University of Minnesota. His skating, especially his lateral movement, requires improvement. But he’s got a powerful wrist shot and a sense of competitiveness that might keep him afloat at the NHL level.
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Knies is a fan of getting to the ugly areas of the ice to create scoring chances, and that might benefit him in a bottom-six role. After a run to the NCAA title game, he should be coming into the Leafs’ lineup with plenty of confidence. — Kloke
Where could Knies slot into the Leafs’ lineup?
Toronto’s coaching staff will want to see what Knies is capable of at the NHL level before deciding what he’s capable of in a highly anticipated first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The game against Florida should give them a sense of what Knies could bring.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe has become a big fan of the team’s fourth line, which consists of Zach Aston-Reese, David Kampf and Sam Lafferty, and likely won’t want to mess with that trio. Knies could then get a look on the team’s third line, which has been in a state of flux as of late. Could Keefe move Alex Kerfoot to right wing and put Knies on a line with Kerfoot and Noel Acciari? There’s some serious energy on that line that lends itself to Knies’ physical game built on straight lines and getting to the net.
Perhaps Keefe throws Knies straight into the fire and puts him on the left side of Auston Matthews on the team’s top line. Knies and Matthews are both from Arizona and developed a relationship once Knies looked for advice on whether he should sign as a Leaf last year. Knies is used to playing with highly-skilled teammates, but even still, playing him on the top line in the playoffs would be a lot of pressure for the NHL rookie to face. — Kloke
Backstory
Last year, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler called Knies “one of the best early stories of the 2021 draft class” and said he was one of the players from the class who had impressed him the most relative to where they were selected.
As a sophomore, Knies ranked third for Minnesota with 42 points (21 goals and 21 assists) in 40 games. His seven game-winning goals also tied for the NCAA lead.
Required reading
(Photo: Zac BonDurant / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
