Advisor ends speculation that Matthew Knies wanting to go the college UFA route
Leafs fans had been waiting at the edge of their seats for a couple of weeks hoping that 2021 2nd round pick and NCAA standout Matthew Knies was going to turn pro this season, so when he elected to go back to college, there was some concern over whether Knies might go the route of playing out his NCAA career and then signing with a team of his choosing a few years down the line.
Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, it was confirmed by Knies' advisor, Matt Frederico that the Maple Leafs have no reason to be concerned about his future with the organization. Knies absolutely intends to be a Leaf and will be a Leaf, possibly as soon as the end of next season.
Knies was said to want to join the Leafs as a regular player, not on the bubble. The truth of the matter is that with another year of NCAA hockey under his belt, and another season to mature, Knies will have some time to round out some aspects of his game that he believes may need some work before he makes the jump to the National Hockey League. No shame in that.
Knies will return to the University of Minnesota, a program that has produced players like Phil Kessel, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Okposo, Erik Johnson, and the Leafs' own Justin Holl. It seems that his development is in good hands there, as was reaffirmed by Kyle Dubas on Thursday.
Knies produced 33 points in 33 games for the Golden Gophers as a freshman this past season.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 15 | 343 ANSWERS Advisor ends speculation that Matthew Knies wanting to go the college UFA route Will Knies walk as a UFA in 3 years? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 29.4 % |
| No | 242 | 70.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
