Matthews, Tavares and Samsonov among those who commented on exciting Leafs debut for Matthew Knies

After losing a heartbreaker in the NCAA Championship game to Quinnipac on Saturday, Matthew Knies flew back to Minnesota with the team and took less than 24 hours to make his decision to sign with the Leafs. He signed a 3-year entry-level deal on Sunday and immediately hopped on a plane to join the team in Florida. Due to a last minute injury to Sam Lafferty, Knies ended up making his debut in the blue and white and did not look out of place. In just over 13 minutes, Knies had 1 hit and 1 block, but showcased his skillset at times in the offensive zone using his 6'3 frame to protect the puck and find the open man. As with any rookie, there were a few mistakes, but overall, it was a solid debut for Knies.

His new teammates and coach were just as impressed as Leaf fans were with Auston Matthews saying, "He fit in really well. You can just see his size & strength out there & he made plays. It's not easy to jump into an NHL game right away especially a game like tonight where they have a lot on the line ... so he looked really good. We're trying to do something special here & we believe he can come in and help us. It's just getting him acclimated right away & tonight he didn't look out of place."

Captain John Tavares had similar thoughts to Matthews regarding Knies saying, "I was really impressed. Not an easy situation to come into. Obviously, you know, helluva 72 hours for him ... you can see the ability, the size & the strength & the puck handling & playmaking ability that he's going to have."

Ilya Samsonov provided his usual comical take when asked about Knies' debut, appreciating his work down low, saying "not easy for him today especially for Florida game. It's not easy to start but he's looking good. He's fighting on the board. I like how he play. He's so nice."


Of course, the most critical of Knies was always going to be Sheldon Keefe, but even he was pleased with Knies' effort in his debut, playing him at least a shift with every forward. "The pace didn't faze him at all. His feet were moving. He made some smart plays with the puck. There were a couple of mistakes out there, but I think some mistakes are good. You can learn through that & adjust, which I thought he did. He did a nice job."

Knies got thrown right into the fire without any practice or a pre-game skate yesterday, but should be able to take part in what will likely be another optional skate this morning as the Leafs prepare to take on the Lightning one final time before they battle in the first round of the playoffs. Knies looked good in his debut and as his teammates said, didn't look out of place. He likely won't be starting Game 1 for the Leafs, but he will certainly provide a bit of jump and offensive punch in the middle six should Keefe feel the need to change the lineup.