The best spot for Matthew Knies in the Leafs' upcoming playoff series against Tampa
As optimistic as Leafs Nation was for the arrival of Matthew Knies in the NHL, you never really know what a player might do once he gets there - especially when they're coming out ot the NCAA. Well, here we are through 3 games and there is plenty of discussion occurring right now that it's not a question of will Knies be in the playoff lineup but where in the lineup he'll play.
First and foremost, if you don't have Knies in your playoff lineup for Game 1 against Tampa, check out this clip and tell me that a guy who can do this wouldn't be a difference maker against a team like Tampa.
Yes, there's a chance that Sheldon Keefe wants Knies to work with the team at practice over the weekend and become more comfortable with the team's systems before committing to having him in the lineup for Game 1. There's a chance that Keefe will want Knies to watch a couple of games from the press box and take a few notes that might help him when he does draw in. However, in my mind, these 3 games against Florida, Tampa and New York were all measuring stick games to see what he could do and if he could hang. Well, not only did he hang, but he was noticeable in each and every game.
In terms of where he fits in best, I think casting the 20-year-old in a top 6 role right off the hop might be a touch too ambitious. The minutes that the top two lines are going to play might be a bit higher than what Keefe might be comfortable assigning to Knies. After all, a player with 3 games of NHL experience has a lot of learning left to do. Yes, he has a dynamic skill set, yes he has NHL size and skating ability, yes he has good instincts, but it makes far more sense to start him lower down the lineup and reward him with more ice time to build his confidence than it would to start him out high and destroy his confidence by taking away minutes and allowing him to slide down the depth chart if he's struggling.
With that in mind, the team doesn't necessarily need to start Knies on the 4th line, playing 9 or 10 minutes per night. In my mind, Knies slots in nicely in that 3rd line LW spot, next to Ryan O'Reilly and one of Noel Acciari or Alexander Kerfoot. Obviously, placing Knies with some experienced players who play a strong two-way game would be wise. However, it wouldn't be shocking to see O'Reilly playing with Tavares and Nylander on line two. If that happens, I'd slot Knies in at 3 LW with Acciari at center and Kerfoot on the opposite wing. There are a few reasons for this.
1. Knies' speed appears to mesh well with that of Kerfoot. The two have played a good number of minutes together over Knies' 3-game run to close out the season and they seemed to be developing some chemistry.
2. Knies may feed off of Acciari's intensity. Both players thrive when playing a physical game and we already know that Acciari is one tough customer who won't think twice about dropping the gloves if someone takes a run at the young rookie.
3. It will allow Keefe to better manage Knies' minutes. Playing 15-18 minutes is probably too much for Knies as he continues to get his feet wet. It also prevents him from playing 9 minutes or less on line 4 when the benches get shorter. Playing 12 minutes on the 3rd line might be the sweet spot here.
4. Having Knies on that 3rd line will provide a legitimate scoring threat. Knies can score from in tight, off the rush and has a good enough shot to be able to score from that gap between the top of the circle down to the hashmarks.
The Leafs have a few days worth of practice coming up here before Tuesday's series begins. I'd imagine that Keefe will continue to move his pieces around at practice until he finds something that he likes, but I'd be surprised if Knies wasn't slotted in at 3 LW when their series against Tampa gets underway next week.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 14 | 356 ANSWERS The best spot for Matthew Knies in the Leafs' upcoming playoff series against Tampa Do you think Matthew Knies will be playing on the left wing on line 3 when their series with Tampa kicks off on Tuesday? | ||
| Yes | 266 | 74.7 % |
| No | 90 | 25.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
