Tavares just reached the 20-goal mark for the 15th time in his NHL career. Does the Leafs center get enough credit for his ability to score? When Matthew Knies slotted the puck in for his second goal of the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, it emphasized not only his skill in front of the net but also his strength with the puck. He stapled himself to the front of the net, and once the puck came to him, Knies kicked it to his stick and had the strength to make a move around Jonas Johansson — with two Lightning players on top of him — before scoring. Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 227 pounds at the beginning of the year, Knies is the Maple Leafs' heaviest player. He beat out veteran Ryan Reaves for the top spot by two pounds. He's already set a new career-high in goals with 18 — in nearly half the time it took him last year — and the 22-year-old is on the cusp of setting new highs in assists and points as well. "He's been a self-starter," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Knies ahead of their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. "I talked to him quite a bit in the summertime and throughout camp and things like that, about his game and where he should be at and the things he should be thinking about out there. "But he's done it. So, I don't bother him too much. He's doing a good job. There's always tweaks and things like that that each player needs here and there. But, for the most part, he's been highly motivated and doing a good job." What stands out most about Knies' game is his strength for a player who's that young. Within a heavy team that features the likes of Reaves, Steven Lorentz, and Simon Benoit, among others, the youthful forward is one of the top players when it comes to using his body. Knies sits third in hits with 106 through 46 games, only behind Benoit (122) and Lorentz (125), who each spoke glowingly on Wednesday about the Phoenix, Arizona native's game. "He's just a horse. He's so strong. I don't think he knows it, but he's so f***ing strong," Benoit said. "If he plays like that and the skill he's got, around the net he's really hard to play against. I'm happy he's on my team." Lorentz also lauded Knies' strength but also gave quite the fascinating answer on how the second-year pro has used his body to his advantage this season. "Not even just the hitting part of his game, it's just how he uses his body along the walls," Lorentz said. "It seems like he wins almost every single wall battle and, even before the battle happens, just his body positioning, how he puts his hips and sticks his body into guys. He just kind of gains that edge before the battle even happens and he comes out on top." Knies is averaging 18:27 of ice time this season, a significantly higher total than his 13:41 last year. He's a constant threat on the ice, earning a 52.99 xGF% at five-on-five this season, the second-best on the Maple Leafs, behind Chris Tanev (53.57), according to NaturalStatTrick.com [https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20242025&thruseason=20242025&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=n&team=TOR&pos=S&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL]. "It's impressive to see for a guy who's only 22 years old. A kid like that's got definitely a bright future," Lorentz added. "Those are kind of the little things that sometimes go unnoticed, but when you do it every single time, people start to pick up that, 'Wow, this kid's coming out of the puck battle with the puck almost every single time.' "It's fun to watch because you know when Kniesy's going into a corner, he's a big bowling ball and he'll take that puck to the net too. He's not afraid to get his nose dirty and it's been working for him." Even Conor Timmins, another defenseman who spoke highly of Knies' strength on Wednesday, admitted he's happy that the young forward is on his team. Timmins added that it's "very challenging" going up against Knies in practice. "Obviously, you take some of the top-end skill in the league and then you put it in that frame, it's tough," the 26-year-old said. "He can go through you. He can go around you. So I don't wish to be any other defender." Although we're only just past the midway point of the season, Knies has been a standout for the Maple Leafs, not just offensively, but defensively too. To make it more eye-popping, the young forward is doing this amid a contract season, which is additionally impressive. "He's an absolute horse in the corners," Ryan Reaves said on Wednesday. "He's very strong on the puck, and for a big guy like that, he has really good hands, especially around the net. He's got a great shot, a quick release. He's kind of the full package. He's really grown throughout this year. He's going to be a menace in this league for sure." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
