Matthew Knies Faces Unexpected Competition for a Spot on Team USA's Olympic Roster

It's been an incredibly quick rise for Matthew Knies since becoming a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as he was hoisted upon the top line and decided to run with it, becoming one of the league's best power forwards.

At only 24, he's got a fantastic career ahead of him, and he was already adamant with what he wanted to accomplish this season, and beyond a Stanley Cup; he wanted to represent his country.

He's becoming more and more undeniable and a snub at the 4 Nations Faceoff for the American side may have motivated to be even better, but according to Elliotte Friedman he has some competition.

Speaking his 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman explained that Team USA is going to have a hard decision this season when it comes to selecting their roster, and with sic spots already filled; things are already tight.

But who is the competitor that's giving Knies a run for his money? None other than rival forward Cole Caufield:

Knies already being on the outside looking in for a spot, and Caufield's emergence as an elite threat doesn't bode well for his chances but let's take a look and see if perhaps they can both squeeze onto the team.

We already know that six players are on the team (Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy) but with both the Tkachuk brothers dealing with injuries and Matthew specifically out for months; he might not be ready.

There's likely mainstays like Jack Hughes, Kyle Connor, Dylan Larkin, and Jake Guentzel as well who are going to be taking up space. However, there's a big need for Knies if the Tkachuk's are out.

Of their remaining power forward options, Knies provides the most identical performance to either brother, and GM Bill Guerin admitted that he would be starting from scratch and needs time to take everything into account.

Looking at their careers, you can draw some comparisons even if they are polar opposites on the ice.

Knies has 101 points in 166 games (46 goals, 55 assists) but also brings the pain with 368 already in his young career and has begun to add more playmaking and a more well-rounded defensive game.

Plus he's 6'3, 225 pounds but skates like lightning; there are few players in the league who can impact the game in several ways like Knies.

Caufield has more experience and points with 226 in 292 games (123 goals, 103 assists) and while he's also a speedy skater in his own right, at 5'8, 175 pounds he isn't the staunch force like Knies.

Plus the team already has a lot of smaller players and bringing in Caufield is a hard bargain especially if they are already going to be lacking size with the Tkachuk's (though Brady will likely play if his recovery doesn't suffer a setback).

So Bill Guerin has some serious work to do if he wants to put the best possible lineup together and while Caufield certainly provides some serious offensive energy:

It's not too often you can bring along a unicorn to help you, and Matthew Knies brings something very, very few in the entire world, let alone the US, can offer.