Matthew Knies gives his thoughts on his Leafs debut and having the opportunity to play with Auston Matthews
In a whirlwind 72 hours for Matthew Knies, he went from losing the NCAA Championship in overtime to signing a contract with the Leafs to being thrown into the lineup thanks to a Monday morning injury to Sam Lafferty. Knies played just over 13 minutes in his Leafs debut as the Leafs ran 11 forwards and 7 defensemen, and did not look out of place. There were some obvious rookie moments and mistakes, like his back pass to no one in the Leafs' zone that was picked off by Florida, but nothing came of it. Following the game, Knies reflected on making the jump and the whirlwind three days for him.
"A devastating loss in the Frozen Four. It was pretty heartbreaking having to say goodbye to those guys & show up & be the new guy here, but they've been really welcoming & I couldn't ask for anything more, said Knies. "Pretty big decision. I wanted to take in all factors & make sure I'm reaching out to everybody that had an impact on me ... a very difficult decision, but ... this was the best idea for me & this was the place I wanted to be & I wanted to contribute," he continued when asked about his decision.
Knies was also asked what it was like skating on a line with fellow Arizona product Auston Matthews, who Knies has looked up to and been in contact with since the Leafs drafted. Knies said earlier this year that he wanted to emulate Matthews' shot, something he believes has come a long way this season.
"It's awesome. It's special to share the ice with him. I looked up to him. He was a big influence on my career so getting to sit next to him & take it all in, take notes, it's been really fun so far."
What did Knies notice most about his debut and what stood out to him the most about the game?
"Guys are a lot heavier, a lot faster, you know, it's a pretty big adjustment. The more games I get under me I think the more I can get adjusted to the speed & my awareness would get a little bit better... [The fact] that we won, JT's unreal breakaway goal, it was a pretty fun experience. Stepping on the ice for warm-ups for the first time was a surreal moment & having my family here to watch is pretty cool."
Knies should feel more comfortable over the Leafs' next couple of games and after a few practices with the team to learn the systems better, but Leaf fans shouldn't expect him to carry the playoff burden or expect him to start producing right away. He likely won't be in the Game 1 lineup and needs more than 3 games to adjust to the NHL so if he doesn't rack up points, take a deep breath and remember, he's 20 years old and there is a learning curve here.
