Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies Put on a Clinic During Drill at Leafs Camp
Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies showed some ridiculous puck control during a battle drill on day two of Maple Leafs training camp.
During their second on-ice session together, the line of Matthews, Knies and Mitch Marner put on a clinic in their demonstration of puck control and protection in a battle drill. In the videos posted to the Leafs' 'X' account, both Knies and Matthews easily shed the defensemen they were battling with while using their large bodies and tremendous strength to shield the puck and complete passes to maintain possession.
Knies was coming into his own during the Leafs' first-round series against Boston this past postseason, and was considered by some to be the best forward during the series, but he has now added an extra 10 pounds over the off-season and looks set to have a dominating season skating with Matthews and Marner.
Matthews, had initially appeared thinner in photos from the NHL's media day in Las Vegas ahead of training camp, but according to the Leafs' medicals, the new captain has actually added a couple of pounds to his frame.
With those two on the same line, being able to dominate along the wall and fight for position in tight, they should be a handful for opposition this season, creating more room for Marner, being the elite playmaker that he is, to open up more opportunities to set up his linemates to score.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 20 | 1850 ANSWERS Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies Put on a Clinic During Drill at Leafs Camp How many goals will Knies score this season? | ||
| 10-20 | 391 | 21.1 % |
| 21-30 | 1213 | 65.6 % |
| 31-40 | 216 | 11.7 % |
| More than 40 | 30 | 1.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
