Matthew Knies wasted no time making an impact in his Columbus Blue Jackets debut, and the timing could not have been more awkward for Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka.
Chayka had gone with Kirill Marchenko over Knies, but the first game was enough to make that call look shaky. With the Blue Jackets facing the Buffalo Sabres, Knies jumped into the lineup and immediately started piling up points.
He opened the night by scoring his first goal as a Blue Jacket, and it was a highlight-worthy finish. A few minutes later, he added an assist that wound up in the net as well, turning an already strong debut into a statement performance.
Knies then made it even harder to ignore by scoring again, giving him three points in the game.
That kind of production fits the profile he has shown before: a talented power forward who can also make plays, especially when he was working on the first line with Auston Matthews.
Still, there had been questions around him. Some observers felt he looked slow and out of shape in the preseason, and others have argued that the analytics are not kind to him as a Matthews linemate.
But with Marchenko sitting at zero points and Knies already at two, the comparison is impossible to avoid. It is only one game, and the Maple Leafs have made questionable decisions before, so it is too early to say this will join that list. Even so, it is off to a rough start for Toronto.
If you are Chayka, Knies’ early showing has to be frustrating.
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