Matthew Knies' Offseason Plans Ignite Excitement Among Maple Leafs Fans
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs power forward Matthew Knies ended up giving fans a lot of be excited about as he prepares to look toward 2025-26.
If you're a Leafs fan, you're still dealing with a bit of heartbreak after the team lost in seven games to the Florida Panthers. They were so close, but still so far, and with the potential to have a much different looking team next season, some hope might feel lost.
Matthew Knies Aiming To Be Even Better In 2025-26
One person who is trying to change that narrative is Matthew Knies, and though he hasn't re-signed as of this writing, there's a strong chance he's going to, and he already seems ready for what next season brings:
For his part, Knies is expected to spend most of the summer in Minnesota.
He plans to work out continuously with his former University of Minnesota teammates who have since graduated to the NHL, including Jackson LaCombe and Jimmy Snuggerud.
Expect Knies to try to add some explosiveness to his skating and obviously bulking up even more to become one of the league's more dominant power forwards. - Joshua Kloke, The Athletic
He plans to work out continuously with his former University of Minnesota teammates who have since graduated to the NHL, including Jackson LaCombe and Jimmy Snuggerud.
Expect Knies to try to add some explosiveness to his skating and obviously bulking up even more to become one of the league's more dominant power forwards. - Joshua Kloke, The Athletic
That's a bit wild to think about, given how big Knies is already at 6'3, 227-pounds. Hard to imagine him getting any bigger, but it's definitely possible and if we see him come into camp at 235-240 potentially?
That's a massive (literally) boost to the lineup.
But to hear that he's working with LaCombe, who is one of the faster skaters who consistently finds bursts of speed at a moment's notice is a huge benefit to him, meanwhile Snuggerud can give Knies pointers on how to use his size to help his shot speed.
What This Means For Toronto Come 2025-26
It means that Toronto might not have to worry about Mitch Marner for long.
If Knies adds more goals, more hits, and better defense under Craig Berube, there's a potential for him to be not only a bruising offensive power forward, but a two-way player that controls the pace.
Signing him long-term would give Toronto his prime years before free agency, and if there's a chance he's one of the world's best come 2030; he's going to have a huge deal incoming; one mirroring Marner's potential next one.
Replacing Marner in the Core 4 with Knies, while keeping John Tavares around albeit in a smaller role, would give the team as much of a chance they had this season, and there are replacements available to help tide over the loss of Marner's playmaking.
Plus Toronto might be able to swing a free agent deal for Connor McDavid, so locking up Knies to play alongside him as essentially a Zach Hyman substitute; it could lead to massive numbers for both men.
This all hinges on Knies re-signing of course. But things are trending in the right direction for bringing him back, which means Toronto is still going to be dangerous even without Mitch Marner in tow.
| POLL | ||
MAI 28 | 498 ANSWERS Matthew Knies' Offseason Plans Ignite Excitement Among Maple Leafs Fans Do you think Matthew Knies will improve even more next season for the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 472 | 94.8 % |
| No | 26 | 5.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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