Knies added some weight in the offseason and has fit right into Berube's style of play.
Matthew Knies is taking nothing for granted.
Despite adding 10 pounds and getting the first chance to skate alongside top stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, The third-year NHLer had to show he belongs there while adapting to incoming coach Craig Berube's brand of hockey.
So far so good.
Knies led all Maple Leafs with a 97.39 percent expected goals rating 14:19 of 5-on-5 ice time and scored one goal in the club's 4-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Perhaps the best example of Knies' play this season came against the New Jersey Devils when he flattened Dougie Hamilton while managing to retain possession of the puck, much like a running back delivering a stiff arm to a defender while driving hard to the endzone.
"He's a powerful guy, I'll tell you. Watching him here, I thought he was excellent tonight," Berube said of Knies Saturday. "He's strong, strong on pucks, plays the game the right way."
Knies was elevated to the club's top power-play late in the game on Saturday after Max Pacioretty was demoted off the power-play units. John Tavares, who would normally be in the spot, was out with an illness.
But Berube is also using him on the penalty kill, obviously trying to reward the player as a key part of the club's future.
"We're using him in all situations. Killing penalties, power play. Out there at the end of the game, six versus five. So, he's been very structured. And the strength of him and his skating is a high ceiling for me," Berube added.
Knies had stretches of last season where he skated alongside Matthews and Marner but saw himself demoted, at times to the fourth line," as he struggled at times to find his footing in his first full season in the NHL.
But under Berube, Knies may be able to use his size to his advantage, particularly when it comes to winning battles.
"He wants us to you know physical fast, north hockey you know I think we brought that today and I think that's what made us win this game," Knies said of Berube.
