The Toronto Maple Leafs have a weapon in their arsenal known as Matthew Knies, and in a contract year, are his linemates doing enough to help the team save on cost?
The emergence last year of Matthew Knies has transformed the Toronto Maple Leafs' top line into a deadly tour de force, with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Offensively gifted and defensively sound, Knies plays a full 200-foot game and has the intangibles that make up an elite hockey player. He's proven he not only belongs on the top line in the NHL but that he should be paid as such.
This year he's already scored six points and has been a monster on the ice, winning puck battles, and securing penalty-killing duties where's he begun to shine as well. Without him, the Maple Leafs would look very different, and not in a positive way.
So Knies being such a workhorse and helping drive the engine that is the Maple Leafs' top line, the question now is: Are Knies' linemates doing enough to save Toronto money in the long run?
Matthew Knies' Workhorse Mentality
It's been a long time since Toronto has had a presence like Knies on their top line; it's reminiscent of a prime James Van Riemsdyk however even better. Being the underrated catalyst of the top line alongside superstars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Knies might not have the name value but he sure provides a heck of a lot. Deceptively quick for his size (6'2, 210 pounds), Knies seemingly has a never-ending amount of stamina and fights for every puck regardless of the situation. He also has a knack for scoring too:
NHL Analyst Projects Knies' Next Deal
While the attention falls on Marner and Matthews (and deservedly so), Knies has quietly shown he's on the verge of being elite and is going to get paid as much. If Matthews and Marner are too reliant on Knies to help them out, his salary is going to jump up by a significant margin. However, if Marner were to leave town, you can bet your bottom dollar that Toronto is going to use some of that to lock up Knies.
Locking up Knies may be a little harder task than anticipated, as his production is going to influence his contract no doubt. It's something NHL Analyst Nick Kypreos touched on. Speaking on his 'Real Kyper and Bourne' podcast podcast, Kypreos believes that Knies is going to get money equivalent to Los Angeles' Quinton Byfield.
'Matthew Knies is not a first-round pick, however, when he's negotiating with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he will act like one of the top 22-year-olds in the world. Slafkovsky, Quinton Byfield, Seth Jarvis; he's in that class. You wanna sign him long-term? You're talking $6.5-8M x 8. That's where Knies has gone. To buy UFA years off these kids, who are looking like sure bets. That's where that marketplace is.'He's a horse. Last night, again. He's doing things now that you go 'that's pretty impressive.'; you can bridge him at $3-3.5 and go from there but he's turning into a very important player right now.'
Kypreos isn't wrong, and Knies' engine is a key factor in Toronto's success even if he's not necessarily as flashy as his linemates. If Toronto wants to keep him around long-term, it's going to cost them; the only factor being how much the Maple Leafs value Knies going forward.
