Matthew Knies reveals what it was like to live with Leafs captain John Tavares, shares his plan for next season
Leafs rookie Matthew Knies made an appearance on Leafs Morning Take on Monday to discuss a wide range of topics and sharing his thoughts on his first run as a Leaf. Per Knies, he is currently back home in Arizona, training over the summer with teammate - and potential linemate next season - Auston Matthews. However, while he remains focused on his offseason training, he also had some great things to say about living with and training with Leafs captain John Tavares this past season.
Knies signed his ELC with the Leafs at the very end of the season, just in time to sneak into 3 regular season games and 7 playoff games prior to suffering a concussion, which halted his playoff run early. Since Knies had come straight from the University of Minnesota to Toronto, there was no time for him to secure a place of his own the GTA, so he decided to take up Tavares' offer to room with him for the duration of the season and playoffs. Needless to say, the rookie winger had a lot of great things to say about the experience.
"That little stint [living with Tavares] was awesome. Truly amazing family... It was a pretty chaotic household when they had the new baby but I loved every second of it. I loved being around them. They took [such good] care of me and supported me so much. I seriously can't thank them enough for what they did. I tried to take in every second of it around him and around the family. He opened his doors again [for next season] so I think that's the best fit for me." - Knies on living with Tavares last year and the likelihood of returning to the Tavares household in 2023-24
Knies had mentioned at the end of the year that he had received a number of offers from various Leafs to come and live with them. In the end, the decision was an easy one for him to take Tavares up on his offer, given the Leafs captain's standing with the team and around the league. Tavares has a reputation of being a consummate pro and such a well-respected player, so you have to appreciate Knies being aware of that and wanting to take full advantage of living with and taking notes from one of the most consistent players of this era.
If you'd like to see the full Knies interview with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill of Leafs Morning Take, you can do so here on YouTube:
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