Matthew Knies accidentally throws Mitch Marner under the bus.

Over the past several months there has been plenty of talk regarding the pressures of playing in a Canadian hockey market. Much of those conversations have been spurred on by the decision from Toronto-born former Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner, who chose to leave his hometown team and sign with the Vegas Golden Knights, and the subsequent interviews from both Marner himself as well as his agent.

It has been clear from the get-go that Marner and his camp have attempted to shed some of the responsibility for the decision by pointing the finger at overzealous fans, but it has also become clear that not everyone feels that way about the pressures of playing in Canada.

Recently former Edmonton Oiler Klim Kostin told the Russia media that he was desperate for a return to Edmonton and was willing to "die on the ice" for the fans in that city, the only fans he says made him feel truly alive outside of his home country of Russia, and now one of Marner's former teammates is also singing a very different tune than Marner.

In a recent interview Maple Leafs star forward Matthew Knies made comments that, albeit unintentionally, cast Marner in a rather poor light. Knies expressed that he not only welcomed and embraced the pressure of playing in a market like Toronto, but that he would be disappointed if the fans didn't hold up their end of the bargain.

"Everyone’s always going to tell you the cliché that pressure is a privilege and stuff. But I think it’s honestly so much fun that there’s so many people so invested in our group. I’d be upset with fans if they weren’t happy with my game if I wasn’t playing well," said Knies as per The Athletic.

Whereas his former teammate seemed to struggle under the admittedly tremendous pressure of playing hockey in the City of Toronto, Knies seems to view it as a way to fuel his ambitions in the sport of hockey. Knies stated flatly that he doesn't view the pressure as something that could negatively impact his career and instead seems to relish in it.

"I want that feeling that I’m playing for the whole city," admitted Knies. "I don’t really look at it as something that can tear me down. It’s something that is going to make me better."

In light of recent events it is impossible not to contrast the comments from Knies with those of Marner and his camp, especially when you consider the fact that Marner has since been accused by some of completely fabricating, or at least exaggerating, his story.

I suspect that this will only add to the popularity of Knies in the city, which is saying something considering that he was already among the fan favorite players on the Maple Leafs roster.