Leafs correspondent has his doubts about how effective Matthew Knies will be for the Leafs when he signs his ELC
For most of the season and dating back to the end of last year, there has been a lot of discussion and hype surrounding Leafs prospect Matthew Knies. His unique blend of size, skill, physicality and goal scoring give plenty of reason for excitement. There are, however, holes in his game - most specifically, his skating.
The Athletic's Kevin Papetti took to Twitter late Sunday evening to share some of the concerns he has with Knies' game in its current form. He doesn't believe that Knies will be an impact player for the Leafs in the playoffs, citing Sheldon Keefe's tendencies as the rationale behind why he may not see a lot of ice, if any, in the playoffs.
"Watched a few games of Matthew Knies. His puck skill is undeniable, but his skating limits him both defensively and in transition. His playmaking is still nothing special. I think he'll probably need cushy minutes with high-end transition players to start his NHL career.
The Leafs don't necessarily need him to drive his own line to be valuable on a cheap contract (see Bunting, Michael). He'll likely get a tryout to impress this season, but I think he has his work cut out for him. Cooley is definitely the star of that line (University of Minnesota's top line).
If he does improve his skating a fair bit... look out. The strength + skill combination is legit. He doesn't have to be as fast as Lafferty to be valuable. In terms of this year, knowing Keefe's tendencies, I'll be a bit surprised if he gets a major role."
-The Athletic's Kevin Papetti on Matthew Knies and the challenges he'll face to play a prominent role for the Leafs in the playoffs
The Leafs don't necessarily need him to drive his own line to be valuable on a cheap contract (see Bunting, Michael). He'll likely get a tryout to impress this season, but I think he has his work cut out for him. Cooley is definitely the star of that line (University of Minnesota's top line).
If he does improve his skating a fair bit... look out. The strength + skill combination is legit. He doesn't have to be as fast as Lafferty to be valuable. In terms of this year, knowing Keefe's tendencies, I'll be a bit surprised if he gets a major role."
-The Athletic's Kevin Papetti on Matthew Knies and the challenges he'll face to play a prominent role for the Leafs in the playoffs
I suppose that we can speculate all we want about how good Knies will be with the Leafs or how much he might struggle with the big jump in the level of competition. The fact of the matter is that we won't know, one way or another, until Knies signs his ELC and gets out there with the Leafs at practice and in game action.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
| POLL | ||
13 MARS | 158 ANSWERS Leafs correspondent has his doubts about how effective Matthew Knies will be for the Leafs when he signs his ELC Will Matthew Knies' skating prevent him from thriving at the NHL level? | ||
| Yes | 36 | 22.8 % |
| No | 122 | 77.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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