Matthew Knies’ knee issue, trade rumours were some of the biggest storylines from his third year in Toronto

“It came up earlier in the year,” Knies said. “I honestly don’t even know what date…sometime pretty early in the season. I think it was kind of blown out of proportion. I don’t think it was that, that serious as everyone was saying.”

How the year went

As previously mentioned, Knies skated in 79 games, recording 23 goals and a career-high 43 assists, to go along with a plus-minus rating of minus-29. Knies’ 66 points placed him third on the team, trailing only William Nylander, who posted 79 points, and John Tavares, who had 71.

Knies averaged 18:08 TOI/GM, setting a new career best, all while dealing with that knee problem. Many fans questioned why the Maple Leafs, even while well out of playoff contention, continued to play Knies in games that were meaningless.

“It was obviously not comfortable to play with all year, but it didn’t really hinder me being out of the lineup,” Knies said. “I’m happy now that I can let it heal up and rest a little bit and try to come back 100% for next season.”

Knies topped his previous high of 15 power-play points by recording 16 this year. The 23-year-old was a staple in front of the net on the Maple Leafs’ first power play unit. Following the Maple Leafs’ pre-game skate prior to hosting the Dallas Stars on April 13, then-head coach Craig Berube discussed how he viewed Knies’ campaign.

“Obviously, he’s been grinding this year with the injury. I got to give him credit for fighting through it, through the whole season’s end,” Berube said. “You’re not always going to feel great, and you have to find a way to fight through it, and he’s done that, and I’ll give him credit for that. He’s had a pretty good year with the numbers, scoring is a little bit down from last year with the goals, but like I said, it’s been a grind all year for him.”

1: Two first-round draft picks and a high-end prospect

2: One first-round draft pick and two high-end prospects

3: Three high-end prospects

Statistical profile

All stats on 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick, among all players with 400 minutes or greater. 

Looking at Knies’ underlying numbers paints just how tough of a year it was for the Maple Leafs in 2025-26. Even as one of the better players on a struggling club, Knies still found himself ranked at the bottom of many statistical categories. 

Knies was on the ice for 44 goals for this season, compared to 58 against, with the -14 mark that is the worst of his young career to date. This along with every statistic previously mentioned, were dropoffs for Knies. 

While much of this can be attributed to the Maple Leafs having their worst season since Knies became a regular in their lineup, the dropoff in scoring chances and expected goals for is something that many within the organization are hoping is just an aberration from the forward they signed to a six-year, $46.5 million contract extension on July 1, 2025. 

“I think there’s ways I could have done more to help us get into a better position and a playoff spot,” Knies said. “I never really look at it from an individual standpoint; I look at it as a team, and I just felt like we didn’t hit our goals this year. That’s the thing I’m going to look at this season.”

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