Max Domi? Mattias Maccelli? Nick Robertson? William Nylander?
When it comes to who will be replacing Mitch Marner's highly coveted spot on Auston Matthews' right wing, there are no shortage of options.
But none of it will matter unless Matthew Knies, who is entering his second season on Matthews' other wing, fails to do his job.
Knies, who scored 29 goals and 58 points with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, doesn't have to be Marner. No one really can be. But he does need to take another step forward in his progression from promising young player to elite power forward. Do that and you really could have anyone patrolling the right side on the Leafs' top line.
After all, as Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons pointed out recently, "The day of the great line may be over in hockey."
With the exception of Tampa Bay, where Nikita Kucherov is on a super line with Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel, or Colorado, where Nathan MacKinnon surrounded by Martin Necas and Valeri Nichushkin, most teams are no longer loading up their top line with their three best forwards.
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Even after the departure of star right winger Mitch Marner, the Toronto Maple Leafs come into this season with great depth at many positions.
That being said, you also can't go solo.
As good as Matthews is, he needs help. Everyone does.
In Vegas, Marner is expected to play on a line with Jack Eichel. In Florida, Sasha Barkov is on a line with Sam Reinhart. As much as Edmonton tries to separate Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they usually end up playing together more often than not.
In other words, if Matthews is going to get back to getting his name on the Rocket Richard Trophy, then someone is going to get him the puck — or take some of the attention off of him.
That's where Knies comes in.
Last season was a breakthrough for the 22-year-old Knies. But after signing an eight-year extension worth $46.5-million, he needs to take another step in his development.
Knies needs to score somewhere between 30 to 40 goals and 60 to 70 points (The Hockey News' Yearbook projects he will finish with 67 points). The 6-foot-3 and 227-pound winger needs to finish checks, retrieve pucks and be a threat — offensively and physically. But he also needs to be able to get Matthews the puck, something that Marner was great at.
When Matthews scored 69 goals a couple of seasons ago, Marner led the Leafs with 59 assists in 69 games. Last year, only Kucherov and MacKinnon had more assists than Marner's 75.
'You've Got Two More Weeks': Auston Matthews Puts A Deadline On Questions About Former Maple Leafs Teammate Mitch Marner
Toronto Maple Leafs star <a target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/health-is-good-auston-matthews-provides-positive-update-before-maple-leafs-training-camp">Auston Matthews</a> has put a timeline on when questions about <a target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/mitch-marner-reveals-intense-backlash-and-had-full-time-security-at-his-home-following-maple-leafs-2025-playoff-exit">Mitch Marner</a> need to stop. During his media availability on Sunday, Matthews was asked about the pre-game routine in which both he and Marner would be the last players on the ice during warmups.
“It’s pretty (irreplaceable) when you’ve got a player like that, but we did our best to get the most out of it,” Knies told The Hockey News and others at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas earlier this month, adding that incomers like Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua will also be leaned on for offense. “So I think with the pieces we’ve added and the pieces we still have, and everyone gets one more year of experience and a little bit older – that’s very important for myself at a very young age to just get that experience – I still have a ton of belief in our team.A
"And I think
‘Chief’ (coach Craig Berube) did a great job in his first year. And
I think (Treliving) just made the right moves.”
Indeed, the Leafs are going to have to rely on an offense by committee when it comes to replacing Marner. But as long as Knies is able to continue growing his game, the demands are not unrealistic.
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Who knows, maybe if Matthews wins the Rocket Richard Trophy and the Leafs go deep in the playoffs, people might even start to forget about Marner. If so, Knies' name will certainly be front and center.
With that comes the inevitable attention — and pressure. But Knies seems up for the challenge.
"Yeah, it’s not possible to deliver every year, and the pressure is always building, but that comes with a lot of privilege," said Knies. "And I think it’s good for some people."