Matthew Knies’ versatility will come in handy during Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a ton of internal competition among their forwards with the Stanley Cup Playoffs just around the corner, meaning youngster Matthew Knies could eventually be pushed down to the fourth line, a spot in the lineup he’s not necessarily familiar with. Not to worry, he’ll find a way to be effective.

Knies has recently found himself on the new formed ‘Kid Line’ with Pontus Holmberg and Nick Robertson and the results have been positive offensively, however due to some defensive deficiencies and the likes of Mitch Marner and eventually Calle Jarnkrok coming back, there’s a very good chance this line could be blown up, with Knies being pushed down and Robertson potentially sent to the press box.

Sheldon Keefe’s facing a ton of pressure to get the lineup set up for maximum success. With just seven games left on the Maple Leafs schedule and only a few practices scattered throughout the next couple weeks, everyone is on the edge of their seat waiting to see how things play out up front. Toronto’s in a great spot with their forward depth.

Knies Can Play Throughout Entire Lineup

With Tyler Bertuzzi, Bobby McMann, Max Domi, Marner and William Nylander all ahead of Knies on the depth chart and with Jarnkrok on his way back, one of Keefe’s most trusted players, Knies could start the postseason on a line with David Kampf and one of Connor Dewar, Robertson or Ryan Reaves. Offense won’t be necessarily on the agenda, but Knies is going to need to use his big frame, get in fast and furious on the forecheck and use his speed and puck retrieval skills to ensure he keeps the puck out of his own net.

Can Knies be effective in a fourth-line role? Absolutely he can. Sure, he’s played 29 more games than Reaves, but it shouldn’t be looked over that Knies leads all Maple Leafs forwards in hits with 156. At 6-foot-3 and almost 200 pounds, he has done a great job in his short tenure in Toronto to not shy away from contact even though he’s still just 21 years old. The same 21-year-old who stands up for his teammates, as he showed recently he’s not afraid to drop the mitts (or “a” mitt, in the case of the video below) if called upon. He stuck up for Holmberg who was absolutely rocked by Florida Panthers towering defenceman Niko Mikkola He wanted to set the tone and didn’t like the hit: