Maple Leafs sound off on Matthew Knies NHL debut

The Toronto Maple Leafs were able to pick up two points in the standings thanks to last night's 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers in overtime; it was captain John Tavares playing the role of hero with the game winning goal, snapping the six game winning streak of the Panthers. 

But the theme of the evening was the National Hockey League debut of highly-touted prospect forward (and Arizona native) Matthew Knies, who was signed to a three year entry level contract after completing his season with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. 

He skated in 13:09 of ice time while playing a total of 18 shifts. And while he didn't find the scoresheet, the Leafs had plenty of good things to say about his first appearance in the NHL. 

"I thought he did a good job," head coach Sheldon Keefe said in his postgame media remarks. "I thought 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 and adjust your game, which I thought he did. I thought he did a nice job."

"Listen, it hasn’t been easy for him in terms of what he has been through with not just the devastating loss that they had after such a long season but the turnaround he had to get here," he continued. "I don’t know how much he enlightened you about that, but his day leading up to the game and then getting here in the arena. When I went to go talk to him before warmup, he was still talking to doctors and going through all the medical stuff that they have to do."

It may as well have been a postseason game for the Panthers, who are desperately attempting to secure a postseason berth for the fourth straight year and need every point they can get. And Keefe was impressed with how the rookie handled himself in a high pressure situation. 

"To see it in the NHL in what was really a playoff-calibre game tonight in terms of intensity, competitiveness, and urgency of every play," Keefe said. "To see it live, he looked like a guy that was comfortable despite clearly not being comfortable as you are making natural adjustments."