Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies is coming off a season in which he had 23 goals, six goals fewer than his 29-goal campaign from 2024-25.
Matthew Knies is the Maple Leafs' cornerstone power forward, and while he had a career-high in points in 2025-2026, there is no denying that his goal totals took a bit of a nose dive.
In the midst of these goal-scoring struggles, Knies found himself subjected to trade rumors. There were even reports that a deal with the Montreal Canadiens was in the cards at the trade deadline.
Now, Knies and the Maple Leafs are looking to bounce back, and the pressure could not be more immense.
Knies' next step is proving his impact holds when Toronto separates him from Matthews
Knies has a GF% of 48.65 alongside William Nylander, a 46.63% rate alongside John Tavares, and a 53.82% alongside Auston Matthews. His results have been stronger beside Matthews, which makes one of this season's more interesting questions whether Knies can maintain the same impact when Hiller changes the lines.
It is clear that Knies can complement an elite center. However, the question is whether or not he can generate his own offense when the lines change or Matthews misses time.
Controllable entries, shot volume, net drives, puck recoveries, and chances generated off his own touches are more important than ever before for Knies. The team is looking for him to be a driver of offense, as opposed to a beneficiary of the efforts of others.
Since the departure of Mitch Marner, the Leafs have been in desperate need of a forward to create chances. This has put the onus on Knies to elevate his game and elevate his teammates.
The next step in Knies' ascension is to be a more independent force on the team. Someone who creates as opposed to waiting for others to create.
If Knies can drive offense himself, the trade conversation changes immediately.
Knies can make Toronto's trade decision much harder by becoming more than Matthews' running mate
Young and big productive wingers like Matthew Knies are always going to be part of trade talks. However, there is one way to avoid those trade talks, and it is to make yourself untradeable.
The new management group led by John Chayka does not need Knies to just be useful. Instead, they need to know whether or not he is a core piece for the future.
His goal reduction from 2024-25 matters because the Leafs need someone who can actually score goals and provide secondary scoring to Auston Matthews. To make himself truly untouchable, a 30-goal season should be the ultimate objective.
If Knies can only rely on Matthews for offense, then rival teams may value him differently than the Leafs currently do.
Knies does not need an arbitrary 30-goal number to justify his place. The bigger test is whether he can take his career-high 66-point season and show Toronto that his value travels across different linemates and situations. If he does, moving a 23-year-old power forward on a long-term deal becomes considerably harder to justify.
Do you believe Matthew Knies will have a good season with the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Maple Leafs' fourth-string goalie has unexpected path to the NHL this season