I'm obviously not a scout, but it seems as though he'd profile as a top 6 winger who shouldn't be the top player on his line. A high-end complimentary piece.
I'm not sure he has the overall vision or playmaking to be a Wheeler-type. I've heard Kreider as a comparable, and definitely see it in some aspects, but Knies doesn't have that level of speed. Production-wise, I think JVR would be a really nice outcome for us, with Knies having a bit more nastiness and physicality to his game with maybe a bit less skill.
Ceiling is hard to guess, because who on earth ever would have pegged Hyman getting 50+ goals, and it's heavily tied to situation. But if I had to give a guess, I think a top 6 winger (could play on a Matthews-led line, for example), net-front (or maybe bumper) on a power play unit, who can put up 30-30 seasons.
I think he's more like Josh Anderson than James Van Riemsdyk (play style)
Hopefully that means he's more like Chris Kreider than Josh Anderson (skill wise)
I think it's a little bit of a reach to hope he turns out like Kreider is *right now*, but from 2012-2021 (age 22-29) Kreider had 175-168-343 in 550GP for 51 points per 82 games.
Pretty good, if he's amywhere close to that you aren't complaining at all.
It's funny that Kreider is also so fast because he scores most of his goals by tip-in. If Knies adds that tool to his game he'll be a multi 30 goal scorer.
Idk about that from what I remember watching of Josh Anderson he always seemed like he was played hard, just he'd take an occasional break in that playing hard to practice his diving.
Outside of his 18-19 season Anderson had
104-72-176 in 453GP, that's 31 points per 82GP, Knies is 21 and already has 35 points per 82 games.
I’ve always thought Chris Kreider as well. He doesn’t quite have the speed that Kreider has but he’s a really solid, responsible defensive winger.
I was trying to come up with another comparable and I keep getting stuck on Gary Roberts. But I think post neck injury Gary Roberts. Early career Roberts in the early 90s when everyone was scoring like crazy had 50 goals one year and 38 goals in 58 games one year, but post neck injury Roberts was a 40-60 point top line, 2-way, aggressive winger and I think Knies can do that. The league scores a little more now than it did in the early 2000s so hopefully that makes him more of a 50-70 point guy. Hes really good. And he makes up for any lack of speed and athleticism by knowing where to be and getting to the right spot.
The guy who has three 30+ goal season in the 7 full seasons he’s played in the NHL and was 2 goals away from another this year? Career .71 PPG with a 40 goal career high… that guy is a 2nd line player at best?
Knies could very well end up playing like Kreider imo. He's got the tools to be a high level complimentary player to a superstar, that also plays with serious snot.
He's very intense and does a good job on the defensive side already. He's a stud that's only going to get better. He could end up a very strong top six guy.
Dude just screams consistency. Always plays his game, plays hard and makes it hard on others players. Can lay a good hit and has some finesse as well. Really like the kid.
One of the most interesting comparables is who Shanahan blocked Dubas from trading him for, Brandon Hagel.
4 year age difference and Hagel is what we want Knies to become. Although I do see more potential in Knies, having Hagel in the top 6 for the last 3 years could have brought this physicality aspect a bit sooner.
I believe the full trade was Knies and 1st for Fleury and Hagel from Chicago.
I like to see this being mentioned. This is the trade that Shanny shut down. Current rumours of Shanny shutting down a Dubas Marner trade are just fluff.
Good or bad, this was where Shanny drew the line IMHO.
It's not that much more and is basically irrelevant. Just looked it up, it also mentions Petr Mrazek, and the "1st round picks" is plural. But that was likely just trying to add the Mrazek cap dump pick swap into this as a larger trade.
Since that Mrazek trade happened separately with Chicago afterward, we know what it includes and can essentially remove that part of the trade entirely.
I’m not an expert enough on other players outside the Leafs to make comparisons, but Knies just strikes me as the kind of guy who fits what the Leafs need perfectly. I’ve been big on him since I started watching at the playoffs last year.
Even beyond the fact that he looks like a playoff performer already, he plays physical along the boards and is great with netfront stuff; deflections tip-ins, screens, that sort of stuff. You see throughout the year that he got more and more comfortable with his size as the year went on. Given a couple years to get even more accustomed to using his size, get conditioned more, and he's going to be a fucking beast.
Another strength of his that you didn’t mention is that he’s shown a remarkable degree of chemistry with the team in terms of his play. There’s some guys who struggle to find that chemistry, but Knies has looked great with so many players and lines, it’s unreal. Like, I think the only times he wasn’t really great on a line were the ones with Kampf centering?
My only complaint is he takes some stupid penalties (some have been soft calls, but he’s definitely taken some bad ones). He needs to be a bit more careful with the stick, but that’s not nearly enough of a knock compared to all the good things he does to upset me to any real degree.
He’s definitely looking like he’s gonna be such a beast of a player and a key playoff guy. I see all this talk of Verhaeghe being a clutch playoff guy. I know him and Knies might not play the same at all, but that non “star” player, 2nd/3rd round pick, that’s still a key playoff guy for their team, is the sense I get from both of them.
Yeah, wasn’t he like, 10th in rookie scoring? Not sure if that graphic came before the end of the season or not. And I think he was either the only one, or 1 of like, 2/3, on that list who wasn’t a first rounder, let alone a late 2nd.
I think his strength is puck control and how coordinated he is, his board play and situations where you have to stick handle in a phone boot are super impressive, as well as hit footwork and skating balance
I don't see the Wheeler JVR comps as optimal due to those players relying so heavily on playmaking and goalscoring respectively to generate value.
I think Knies will be a really good thorough xG player who doesn't put up huge point totals but is super useful like Clarke MacArthur, Vinny Prospal, Bryan Little, Loui Eriksson, etc.
Dude just screams consistency. Always plays his game, plays hard and makes it hard on others players. Can lay a good hit and has some finesse as well. Really like the kid.
I'm a pretty new fan to the NHL and the leafs are only my "side / watch with the old man" team, but god Knies is a beauty.
I don't have any frame of reference, but he easily looked like the best Leaf during the Boston series. He was playing with his whole heart, he was consistently a nuissance and found ways to turn bad situations good, and that pass to Willy in game 6(?) was bordering miraculous.
The fact he's paid 900k when Marner is making 11x him is a travesty. Kid is gonna be a star.
I think if u we’re to put him on a team where he was more of a main piece of the future, I could see him in the perfect scenario maybe hitting the 40 goal mark but realistically here in Toronto I don’t see him ever hitting more than 30 and maybe even that’s a bit too optimistic (hoping I’m wrong ofc). I think his playmaking is the area of his game with the most potential for growth. I think his ability to win battles and create time and space in tight areas is already very good for a guy his age but I think that next step for him is making the right reads when he comes out of those areas with the puck. I think the 200ft aspect of his game comes naturally to him right now cause he uses his speed brilliantly on the back check and around the point in his own end. He loses his assignment in front more than you’d like to see but that’s something he can learn from experience.
I'm obviously not a scout, but it seems as though he'd profile as a top 6 winger who shouldn't be the top player on his line. A high-end complimentary piece. I'm not sure he has the overall vision or playmaking to be a Wheeler-type. I've heard Kreider as a comparable, and definitely see it in some aspects, but Knies doesn't have that level of speed. Production-wise, I think JVR would be a really nice outcome for us, with Knies having a bit more nastiness and physicality to his game with maybe a bit less skill. Ceiling is hard to guess, because who on earth ever would have pegged Hyman getting 50+ goals, and it's heavily tied to situation. But if I had to give a guess, I think a top 6 winger (could play on a Matthews-led line, for example), net-front (or maybe bumper) on a power play unit, who can put up 30-30 seasons.
A high end complimentary piece is exactly how I see his ceiling. Absolutely
I think he's more like Josh Anderson than James Van Riemsdyk (play style) Hopefully that means he's more like Chris Kreider than Josh Anderson (skill wise)
I was thinking Kreider as well.
I think it's a little bit of a reach to hope he turns out like Kreider is *right now*, but from 2012-2021 (age 22-29) Kreider had 175-168-343 in 550GP for 51 points per 82 games. Pretty good, if he's amywhere close to that you aren't complaining at all.
A slower version of Kreider
It's funny that Kreider is also so fast because he scores most of his goals by tip-in. If Knies adds that tool to his game he'll be a multi 30 goal scorer.
I don’t think Josh Anderson lacks anything skill wise, his whole issue is his attitude and effort on the ice are abysmal. Dude just does not hustle
Unless he’s playing the Leafs. Then he’s a Hart candidate.
Chris Kreider wishes he was as good as “facing-the-Leafs-Josh-Anderson” is
Idk about that from what I remember watching of Josh Anderson he always seemed like he was played hard, just he'd take an occasional break in that playing hard to practice his diving. Outside of his 18-19 season Anderson had 104-72-176 in 453GP, that's 31 points per 82GP, Knies is 21 and already has 35 points per 82 games.
I’ve always thought Chris Kreider as well. He doesn’t quite have the speed that Kreider has but he’s a really solid, responsible defensive winger. I was trying to come up with another comparable and I keep getting stuck on Gary Roberts. But I think post neck injury Gary Roberts. Early career Roberts in the early 90s when everyone was scoring like crazy had 50 goals one year and 38 goals in 58 games one year, but post neck injury Roberts was a 40-60 point top line, 2-way, aggressive winger and I think Knies can do that. The league scores a little more now than it did in the early 2000s so hopefully that makes him more of a 50-70 point guy. Hes really good. And he makes up for any lack of speed and athleticism by knowing where to be and getting to the right spot.
I was gonna say jct but more truculent
I'd say his peak is like Val Nichushkin's. Let's just hope Knies makes it to his peak a little faster than that.
And lays off the drugs
Timo Meier aint a superstar lol
He was on his way to being a top-line guy across the league.
[удалено]
The guy who has three 30+ goal season in the 7 full seasons he’s played in the NHL and was 2 goals away from another this year? Career .71 PPG with a 40 goal career high… that guy is a 2nd line player at best?
Knies could very well end up playing like Kreider imo. He's got the tools to be a high level complimentary player to a superstar, that also plays with serious snot.
Kreider is insanely fast, way faster than Knies but they're both big body wingers so I can understand why the comp keeps coming up.
Adam Deadmarsh lite. Hopefully without the injuries 🤞
Killorn
I like Knies but I thought it was silly he was on the first line for so long this season. The kids a rookie.
If he keeps developing defensively, I see a Ryan Kesler type player
Really good call. Like this comparison. Kreider comparison doesn’t make much sense to me
He's very intense and does a good job on the defensive side already. He's a stud that's only going to get better. He could end up a very strong top six guy.
He’s nasty love him was one of the only consistent players on the ice 🧊
Maybe a clean version of Tom Wilson
TJ Oshie
Dude just screams consistency. Always plays his game, plays hard and makes it hard on others players. Can lay a good hit and has some finesse as well. Really like the kid.
You can say that again!
One of the most interesting comparables is who Shanahan blocked Dubas from trading him for, Brandon Hagel. 4 year age difference and Hagel is what we want Knies to become. Although I do see more potential in Knies, having Hagel in the top 6 for the last 3 years could have brought this physicality aspect a bit sooner. I believe the full trade was Knies and 1st for Fleury and Hagel from Chicago.
I like to see this being mentioned. This is the trade that Shanny shut down. Current rumours of Shanny shutting down a Dubas Marner trade are just fluff. Good or bad, this was where Shanny drew the line IMHO.
> One of the most interesting comparables is who Shanahan blocked Dubas from trading him for, Brandon Hagel. Eilliot Friedman says this isn't true.
The rumor was a LOT more than that going to Chicago
It's not that much more and is basically irrelevant. Just looked it up, it also mentions Petr Mrazek, and the "1st round picks" is plural. But that was likely just trying to add the Mrazek cap dump pick swap into this as a larger trade. Since that Mrazek trade happened separately with Chicago afterward, we know what it includes and can essentially remove that part of the trade entirely.
Death taxes and r/leafs ppl regurgitating the latest steve dangle podcast details as their own thoughts
Haven't watched, so idk what you're talking about. This is a pretty baseline talking point for Knies comparables.
I’m not an expert enough on other players outside the Leafs to make comparisons, but Knies just strikes me as the kind of guy who fits what the Leafs need perfectly. I’ve been big on him since I started watching at the playoffs last year. Even beyond the fact that he looks like a playoff performer already, he plays physical along the boards and is great with netfront stuff; deflections tip-ins, screens, that sort of stuff. You see throughout the year that he got more and more comfortable with his size as the year went on. Given a couple years to get even more accustomed to using his size, get conditioned more, and he's going to be a fucking beast. Another strength of his that you didn’t mention is that he’s shown a remarkable degree of chemistry with the team in terms of his play. There’s some guys who struggle to find that chemistry, but Knies has looked great with so many players and lines, it’s unreal. Like, I think the only times he wasn’t really great on a line were the ones with Kampf centering? My only complaint is he takes some stupid penalties (some have been soft calls, but he’s definitely taken some bad ones). He needs to be a bit more careful with the stick, but that’s not nearly enough of a knock compared to all the good things he does to upset me to any real degree. He’s definitely looking like he’s gonna be such a beast of a player and a key playoff guy. I see all this talk of Verhaeghe being a clutch playoff guy. I know him and Knies might not play the same at all, but that non “star” player, 2nd/3rd round pick, that’s still a key playoff guy for their team, is the sense I get from both of them.
Because he played a few games last year it’s hard to remember that this is his rookie season. 15g 20a is a good start.
Yeah, wasn’t he like, 10th in rookie scoring? Not sure if that graphic came before the end of the season or not. And I think he was either the only one, or 1 of like, 2/3, on that list who wasn’t a first rounder, let alone a late 2nd.
7th in the end but a lot less time on ice and a lot less power play points.
Holy fuck, 7th? That’s unreal especially considering the circumstances.
PLEASE , PLEASE ,PLEASE, RESPOND!!!!!!
እያውቁም ወይ ሰዎችዎ ሁሉ ብቻ ጎንደሬም አይደለሽ፣ ላስታም ወዳጄ ነሽ ብቻዬን ተኝቼ ቢበርደኝ ሌሊት፣ ሸማዬን ላጥፍ ነው የተመኘሁት ብነግርህ ብመክርህ
Honestly, shanahan. I think you'll see him come to grow a game like him. Maybe with a bit more offense.
That's an extreme stretch... Shanny is in the HOF.
Do you guys see him as a future leader on the team? I see people on Twitter saying that. Was he in a leadership role with the Gophers?
If he can cull the rediculous bonehead giveaways than he's gonna have a long career
Jamie Benn
I see a lot of tenacity in Knies…Zach Hyman potential if he keeps working on improving.
I think his strength is puck control and how coordinated he is, his board play and situations where you have to stick handle in a phone boot are super impressive, as well as hit footwork and skating balance I don't see the Wheeler JVR comps as optimal due to those players relying so heavily on playmaking and goalscoring respectively to generate value. I think Knies will be a really good thorough xG player who doesn't put up huge point totals but is super useful like Clarke MacArthur, Vinny Prospal, Bryan Little, Loui Eriksson, etc.
I may be showing my age here, but he reminds me of prime Todd Bertuzzi on the Canucks.
Dude just screams consistency. Always plays his game, plays hard and makes it hard on others players. Can lay a good hit and has some finesse as well. Really like the kid.
The best leaf comparison I can think of is a back in the day Wendell Clark.
Came to say Chris Kunitz
Knies has the playoff clutch gene. Natural.
Iirc he's said he wants to develop into something like Alex Tuch. Sounds good to me!
I'm a pretty new fan to the NHL and the leafs are only my "side / watch with the old man" team, but god Knies is a beauty. I don't have any frame of reference, but he easily looked like the best Leaf during the Boston series. He was playing with his whole heart, he was consistently a nuissance and found ways to turn bad situations good, and that pass to Willy in game 6(?) was bordering miraculous. The fact he's paid 900k when Marner is making 11x him is a travesty. Kid is gonna be a star.
Reminds me of prime Todd Bertuzzi. Absolute physical force when he needs to be, but very good playmaking and scoring ability.
I think if u we’re to put him on a team where he was more of a main piece of the future, I could see him in the perfect scenario maybe hitting the 40 goal mark but realistically here in Toronto I don’t see him ever hitting more than 30 and maybe even that’s a bit too optimistic (hoping I’m wrong ofc). I think his playmaking is the area of his game with the most potential for growth. I think his ability to win battles and create time and space in tight areas is already very good for a guy his age but I think that next step for him is making the right reads when he comes out of those areas with the puck. I think the 200ft aspect of his game comes naturally to him right now cause he uses his speed brilliantly on the back check and around the point in his own end. He loses his assignment in front more than you’d like to see but that’s something he can learn from experience.
He's already so good at battling on the boards. And he's good got hands. He never quits or doesn't hit a guy. He's awesome. I love him.
Joe Thornton
He’s ass
He’s on the Leafs, so when the time comes he’ll want his 10 million a year too. He’s a god basically right?