NHL Hall of Famer Eric Lindros Shares Honest Opinion of Leafs Winger Matthew Knies
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro - USA Today Sports
NHL Hall of Famer and ex-Leaf Eric Lindros has offered his honest opinion of Maple Leafs sophomore Matthew Knies during a recent interview.
It's been an up-and-down campaign for Matthew Knies this season, but it looks like the sophomore forward is on the brink of breaking out and becoming a legitimate star with his recent performances alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Knies started off the season with 10 goals and 16 points in his first 23 games, but then fell into a bit of a lull with just 1 goal and 2 assists across his next 14 contests.
Thankfully, he's snapped out of the funk with the return of Auston Matthews, as Knies has contributed 5 goals and 2 assists over his last 3 games, including a hat-trick performance against Boston.
The 22-year-old forward has shown a lot of offensive flashes over the course of the last season and a half, and many around the organization, as well as some former players within the city, believe the sky is the limit for Knies. Eric Lindros is among those who believe Knies is a star.
The Hall-of-Fame forward and Maple Leafs alumnus sat down with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on the "Leafs Morning Take" podcast this week to discuss a variety of topics, including what he's seen from Knies:
"The guys are pulling it together -- look at Knies. When I watch Knies play, I think there's no end to how good he can get. He's solid. You look at him and he's got the strong neck, he skates with purpose, he just looks like such a player and I think as he gets his confidence going and gets more and more exposure, I think you're going to see a load that -- people look at 'we need a goal, let's get Auston out there' -- I think that load can be shared a little bit more with the likes of Knies. I think he's going to be one of those players."
The one thing that everyone talks about with regard to Knies is his big-bodied presence on the ice and how successful he can be if he uses it to his advantage and Lindros believes that the 6'2, 210 pound forward is on the cusp of really breaking out.
With Knies' game-winning goal last night, he's topped his career-high of 15 goals he set last year in 80 games and is just 9 points away from tying his career-mark of 35.
He's also averaged nearly 5 minutes more ice-time per game from last year and currently owns a potent 22.9 shooting percentage with 16 goals on just 70 shots.
As Lindros mentions, once Knies gets his confidence and mojo back, he will be relied upon almost as much as players like Matthews and Marner, which will be such a boon come playoff time if they can get more consistent scoring from players outside of the Core 4.
Knies will look to extend his 3-game goal streak tomorrow night when the Maple Leafs visit the Carolina Hurricanes.
The one thing that everyone talks about with regard to Knies is his big-bodied presence on the ice and how successful he can be if he uses it to his advantage and Lindros believes that the 6'2, 210 pound forward is on the cusp of really breaking out.
With Knies' game-winning goal last night, he's topped his career-high of 15 goals he set last year in 80 games and is just 9 points away from tying his career-mark of 35.
He's also averaged nearly 5 minutes more ice-time per game from last year and currently owns a potent 22.9 shooting percentage with 16 goals on just 70 shots.
As Lindros mentions, once Knies gets his confidence and mojo back, he will be relied upon almost as much as players like Matthews and Marner, which will be such a boon come playoff time if they can get more consistent scoring from players outside of the Core 4.
Knies will look to extend his 3-game goal streak tomorrow night when the Maple Leafs visit the Carolina Hurricanes.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 8 | 2535 ANSWERS NHL Hall of Famer Eric Lindros Shares Honest Opinion of Leafs Winger Matthew Knies How many goals does Matthew Knies finish with this season? (Currently at 16) | ||
| 20-25 | 563 | 22.2 % |
| 26-30 | 1394 | 55 % |
| 31-35 | 478 | 18.9 % |
| 35+ | 100 | 3.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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