Matthew Knies could change the Maple Leafs’ secondary scoring woes: ‘We know what his potential is’

TAMPA, Fla. — High above the Amalie Arena ice, Fraser Minten raised his arms in celebration and, perhaps, relief. The rookie centre was a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career but he still couldn’t contain his excitement when fellow Toronto Maple Leafs’ rookie and friend Matthew Knies found the back of the net for the first time in the NHL regular season.

Heading into this game, Knies had played plenty of minutes with Minten. That’s to be expected when playing with a rookie centre, Knies had yet to put his stamp on his first four games. After riding into last season on a rocket following the conclusion of his spectacular sophomore campaign at the University of Minnesota and immediately becoming an impact player in the playoffs, Knies fired five shots on goal but had been held off the scoresheet this season.

This fall, Knies sounded far more stern throughout training camp and the beginning of the season than he had last spring when his “Aw shucks” demeanour added some levity to a dressing room that can sometimes be wound fairly tight. The brawny winger was mentally preparing himself for a long season.

His first four games likely felt long.

“It probably hasn’t gone the way he’s wanted it to,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Knies’ early season.

Yet in the span of fewer than three minutes, Knies likely reminded his friend, Minten, watching him in the press box, of the value in staying even-keeled. After the Leafs went down 3-1 in the first period thanks to a poor goaltending performance, Knies kept pushing toward the goal.

Midway through the third period, Knies found some open ice off the rush and buried a wrist shot to pull the Leafs within one. Not two-and-a-half minutes later, Knies corralled another feed from new linemate Max Domi in his feet. He unleashed the skill that he’s always had and lifted the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Jonas Johansson for his second goal. Knies also added an assist on the Leafs opening goal for his first multi-point performance in the NHL.

What was worth noting about the Leafs’ 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning is that they stuck with the game after a deflating first period.

But what might end up being most important moving forward? There is much-needed secondary offence to be found after scoring just one goal in their previous two games.

And according to Keefe, the team’s 21-year-old rookie winger embodies both aspects of the win. What’s impressed the Leafs coach the most about Knies’ early season is that he hasn’t gotten down on himself. Knies scored his goals not by deviating from his power-first game but by relying on his strengths.

“Like our game today, he’s stayed with it and hasn’t gotten too high or too low or anything like that,” Keefe said of Knies. “When his moment comes, be ready for it. And he was.”

A lack of secondary scoring has been one hurdle for the Leafs to clear after four games this season. Coming into the game against the Lightning, the Leafs had scored 14 goals, but their forward core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares were responsible for 11 of those goals. No other player had scored more than a single goal.

With high-end hands and willingness to get to the front of the net, Knies quickly became tied for third in the team in scoring in less than three minutes. Domi deserves credit for getting in on the act too with the primary assists on both of Knies’ goals. It’s this kind of production from lower in the lineup that will be pivotal to the team’s success this season.

There are still other hurdles for the Leafs after five games. Ilya Samsonov does not look like the starting goaltender the Leafs need him to be after allowing three goals on four shots and then getting pulled immediately afterward in the first period. He’s now allowed 14 goals through four games and Keefe was clear that Joseph Woll, who stopped 29 of 29 shots in relief, is now pushing Samsonov for more starts.

Then there’s the continued defensive errors in front of the goaltending, which also allowed the Lightning to pull away in that opening frame.

But now, Knies could begin adding offence more regularly and providing the kind of secondary scoring the Leafs will still need. It was Tavares and Nylander who added the other Leafs goals on the night.

“It just gives me more confidence,” Knies said of his goals. “I think the chances were there early in the season. But they just weren’t clicking, weren’t executing a little bit. So it was nice to get that on the board.”

NHL rookies can often struggle as they endure the highs and lows of an NHL season. The physicality of the league can wear on a player. There is increased travel through unfamiliar cities. There can be movement up and down the lineup after, quite often, spending their junior or college careers high in the pecking order.

“It’s a lot coming at me with all the systems, the practices,” Knies told The Athletic in training camp.

Coming into this season, Knies was hell-bent on earning his spot on the team. Despite the fact that most prognosticators had his name etched in stone for a top-nine role, Knies quietly believed that might not be the case. And so in conjunction with Tavares, who previously opened his home to Knies when he joined the Leafs, Knies lived in a hotel throughout training camp. Knies didn’t want any preferential treatment.

“It’s better if I earn my spot,” Knies told The Athletic in training camp.

And while Knies is only five games into what will technically be his first full NHL season, that sense of maturity has impressed teammates.

“He’s been getting better every game as he’s been getting more and more comfortable,” said Calle Järnkrok, who spent time alongside Knies on a line this season. “He’s just a great young man.”

Knies only turned 21 on Tuesday. To celebrate the occasion, his parents flew into Toronto for a small dinner to spend time with him. An injection of time with the people closest to him appears to have given him a boost on the ice as well.

If Knies can maintain that aforementioned confidence and begin producing regularly, he could force his way higher up the lineup. Tyler Bertuzzi hasn’t clicked on a line with Matthews and Marner, leaving room for Knies to take a few spins on their left side.

Or if Keefe believes Domi’s smooth playmaking, which was on display in a way it hadn’t been throughout training camp and early this season, can benefit Knies’ shoot-first inclinations, perhaps he could feel more motivated to keep those two on a line with increased minutes this road trip.

Regardless of what the short-term future looks like, it was an evening worth enjoying for Knies. Minten would eventually find his friend in the bowels of Amalie Arena for a celebratory hug. Knies had been checking what was likely congratulatory messages postgame in a hallway outside the team’s dressing room when Tavares reminded him that there was a room full of teammates waiting to celebrate alongside him.

Knies laughed, tucked his phone away in his pocket, and went to laugh some more. The rest of the season could now look a little different for the rookie.

“We know what his potential is and the impact that he can make,” Tavares said of Knies. “He’s just scratching the surface.”

(Photo of Matthew Knies celebrating a goal against the Lightning: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)