The Toronto Maple Leafs have a slew of young players whose best years are ahead of them. Most of them are now household names, including Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

However, one up-and-comer is still finding his top form. And this week, we saw what that youngster – left winger Matthew Knies – is capable of doing.

Knies was a key force in Toronto’s 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Monday at Scotiabank Arena, posting his second goal and third point of the season. The 22-year-old American took advantage of a collision between two Bolts players, grabbed the puck on a breakaway and fired it through the legs of Lightning goalie Jonas Johansson to make it 5-1 Leafs and put the game out of reach for Tampa Bay.

Then on Tuesday, while the Maple Leafs were blown out 6-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Knies scored again. He took away the puck behind the net, protected the puck as he skated into the low slot and then whipped it around for his third goal of the year.

But Knies’ impact was felt above and beyond his goals. He was a physical force, a dogged forechecker and a punisher in his own zone. In sum, Knies was the complete package you envision from an NHL power forward, and he’s still just scratching the surface of what he can do.

Very soon, the Leafs will have to reward him when it’s time for a new contract.

To that end, Knies will be an RFA at the end of this season. While the Leafs will have more salary cap space to play with when some of their veterans’ contracts are up and the cap ceiling rises, they still have to be careful about handing out long-term contracts. But there should be no fear whatsoever of over-paying Knies.

Whether it’s a bridge deal he gets to cover the next couple of seasons or a long-term investment that gives him at least $5 million to $6 million per year, Knies will be handsomely paid as he settles into his prime.

Playing on a line with Matthews and Marner, Knies doesn’t have to carry the team on his back. Instead, if he uses his 6-foot-3 frame and continues as a high-impact physical competitor, Knies will be the guy in the corners who digs the puck out for Matthews and Marner and scores goals in close and on rebounds and secondary scoring chances. He’s already showing he can do exactly that.

Knies still has lots of time to find his peak form. But his confidence is growing with every game. While he’s got four points in seven games, he should grow that scoring pace as he gets more experience.

Thanks to Leafs coach Craig Berube, Knies is already getting more chances. So far this season, Knies is averaging 17:09 of ice time, more than three minutes more per game than he did last year (13:41). That’s a huge bump in opportunities, and we expect Knies to make the most of them.

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Progress isn’t always linear, so Knies may find a career hurdle here or there that he doesn’t clear right away. But the Leafs must be happy with his growth and production thus far.

Knies is still learning to handle the grind of the NHL game, but his confidence and tenacity are only growing. He’s got the first-line left winger spot nailed down for the moment, and as his offense totals continue to improve, he’s going to be an essential component of Toronto’s blueprint for success.

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