A long run for the University of Minnesota could complicate things for the Leafs and Matthew Knies
Every year, towards the end of the NHL's regular season, NCAA players begin signing their entry-level contracts across the NHL. Some players were drafted, while others come in as free agents. For some, their jump to the NHL is immediate and for others, like we saw with Nick Abruzzese last year in Toronto, the path to a full-time NHL gig is not necessarily a straight line.
For Matthew Knies, his University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are hoping for a long run and a chance to win an NCAA Championship. However, if that does occur, it could create some problems for the Leafs, who are hoping that the 20-year-old winger can step right in and take the next step in his development.
Knies has both the size and the tools to not only be a competent NHL player, but a legit power forward. Recently, NHL executive Michael Futa said that Matthew Knies gave him a handful of the best viewings that he had ever seen of a college player, so it's hard not to get your hopes up if you're a Leafs fan.
As The Score's Kyle Cushman pointed out in his recent prospect review, if Knies and the Golden Gophers go all the way this season, Knies would only have the opportunity to make it into a maximum of 3 NHL regular season games before the start of the playoffs. As such, Cushman cautions everyone not to pencil Knies into their playoff lineups just yet.
The Leafs will undoubtedly go into this trade deadline with a contingency plan in place just in case Knies does not get to spend a reasonable amount of time with the team before the playoffs begin. I can imagine we're going to see at least one addition at forward. Whether or not it's a big name who will cause a bit of a cascading effect on the Leafs' roster, pushing guys down further in the lineup or a depth piece who is capable of filling a hole in the bottom six remains to be seen.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 5 | 184 ANSWERS A long run for the University of Minnesota could complicate things for the Leafs and Matthew Knies Will Matthew Knies be on the Leafs' playoff roster this year? | ||
| Yes | 123 | 66.8 % |
| No | 61 | 33.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
