Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews drops massive Matthew Knies praise before training camp

The Toronto Maple Leafs are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2025-26 campaign. Auston Matthews and his teammates missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year. Now, they are hoping to make the dance again. Matthews believes Matthew Knies will play a key role in their success for years to come.

Matthews spoke with reporters as training camp began this week. The Maple Leafs star addressed his health and other topics surrounding the team. When the topic of Knies came up, the Toronto captain had major praise to hand out.

“For him, he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his ceiling,” Matthews said of Knies on Friday, via NHL.com. “He’s going to continue to get better and better, and he works at it as well.”

Knies is certainly a hard-working player. He played through a knee injury last season that bothered him for most of the campaign. He only missed three games, though. None of those games came after his return to the ice on November 26th.

“He’s a team-first guy and that’s something you can appreciate about somebody. He just battles and he doesn’t complain, just does whatever he needs to do to get himself ready to play and he just goes out and competes,” Matthews continued.

Knies turned in quite the performance, given the circumstances. He scored 23 goals and 66 points, ranking third among Maple Leafs skaters in points. Those 66 points also represented a career high for the 23-year-old.

The Maple Leafs certainly expect big things from Knies. They believe he can be a foundational part of this team. The young winger has the backing of the entire organization, and especailly Matthews.