Shane Doan comments on the play of Leafs rookie Matthew Knies in the playoffs
When the Leafs hired ex-Coyotes captain Shane Doan as the team's new special advisor to Brad Treliving, the focus immediately became about how the move was made to give the Leafs a better chance of signing Auston Matthews on July 1st. Right or wrong, that was the narrative.
While, yes, Doan will have an impact on the Matthews negotiations, it's not the only reason he was brought in. As we know, Doan and Treliving remained close long after Treliving left the Coyotes organization. Doan is someone Treliving clearly trusts. But there's another individual wrapped up in all of this who will greatly benefit from having Doan in Toronto. Budding young star, Matthew Knies.
Back in July, here's what Knies had to say about Doan and how important he was to him:
Now, having gone through a couple of years of college hockey and making his NHL debut and NHL playoffs debut, Knies beginning to show signs of being a future star in the league. For Doan, there are a lot of ways that he'll be able to help Knies in Toronto. But, above all else, he's just thrilled to see his young pupil coming along the way that he is as a pro.
Obviously, the Arizona connection will be strong there and as much as Doan's presence will help during the Auston Matthews negotiations, it will also help during the Knies negotiations as well. As we know, Knies playing in the NHL right away coming out of college burned a year of his entry-level contract, so he'll actually become eligible to sign an extension next summer if the two sides want to get a deal done a year ahead of time - though it's far more likely that they'll wait until closer to July 1st, 2025 just to see how everything unfolds.
