Matthew Knies has added a new dimension to his game this season and it's flying under the radar

The Toronto Maple Leafs they seemed to have really struck gold when it comes to Matthew Knies. Not only does he fit perfectly into the team's direction, but his style of game in as unique as can be. He hits hard, he's as strong as an ox, has a fantastic shot and is surprisingly quick for a player his size.

But there's something new that Knies has brought to the table in 2025-26 and it's something the team has needed since they lost Mitch Marner.

So far this season, Knies has showcased a keener ability to find the open man and has exploded for 38 points with 26 of those coming via assists. It's a new facet that shows Knies is more than just a hard-hitting scorer, and his vision and offensive awareness is quite underrated.

Knies has 15 primary assists this season, only two away from tying last season's total and is only four assists away from setting a new career-high with 30. If he can pick up the goal-scoring a bit more, he very well could hit the 70 point mark by the end of the season.

Let's not forget that Knies is still only just 23 years old. He's a few seasons away from his prime and he's only going up from here. He's remarkably durable and has fully bought in to not only Craig Berube's system, but the Maple Leafs as a whole.

There's something special about Knies' style of play and it's made some history in the process. Since 2005-2006, only three other players have scored 50+ goals, 75+ assists, and 400+ hits in their first 200 career games: Alex Ovechkin, Jamie Benn, and Gabriel Landeskog.

Pretty fantastic company when you really think about it, and to be even in the same breath as Ovechkin; who is continuing to dominate even 20 years later, is nothing short of impressive.

So while Knies' season hasn't led to bigger things that he had hoped for, perhaps he can be the reason the Maple Leafs make it past the second round while giving fans even more of a reason to cheer him on.

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