Three weeks after being traded to Columbus, Matthew Knies is still feeling the ripple effect of a move that landed fast and hit hard. On the eve of his first game against Toronto, the 25-year-old forward opened up about the shock of leaving the Maple Leafs, the slow process of settling into his new team, and what it will mean to see Auston Matthews and his former teammates on the other side.
“It’s fun. It’s hard to take it like every other game, but that’s the mindset you have to have, just to stay focused. Focus on the guys in my locker room, and that’s about it,” Knies said when asked about the buildup to the game.
He made clear that the matchup carries a little extra heat, even if he’s trying not to turn it into something bigger than it is. Knies said he has “never experienced something like this,” describing the strange feeling of looking across the ice at familiar faces.
He added that, because everything happened so abruptly, he never really got a chance to say goodbye the way he wanted. Still, he said he hopes to talk to some of those players and “wish them well.”
The trade itself caught him off guard. Knies said he and his new team were coming home from practice when his phone started buzzing and the news came together quickly.
“I was pretty shocked, with the talks I’d had with a lot of you guys going into training camp, playing through all the preseason games. Just the timing of it all, that’s what shocked me about it,” he said.
Still, he acknowledged the possibility had been hanging around for a while and said, “it just felt like it was something they needed to do. I’m here now, and that’s all I have to worry about.”
Knies also pushed back on the idea that he needs a special emotional boost to beat Toronto. “There’s motivation to win every game.
Every game matters right now. We’re trying to get back in the win column, and that’s really it,” he said.
“It’d be good to beat these guys, but again, take it like every other game.”
The move has also brought a lot of adjustment off the ice. Knies said he’s only starting to feel settled in Columbus, and even the everyday stuff has taken time.
“Last night was my first night out of the hotel in Columbus. It feels like I’ve been on the road for quite a while now. First home-cooked meal in a while,” he said.
He also pointed to the little details that come with uprooting your life: getting belongings moved, figuring out where his parents can sit to watch games, and even learning the basics of the building.
“This was my first time driving to the game, too. Finding the parking lot, finding my spot, little things like that… It takes some time,” Knies said. “I know we’re only seven games in, but it’s been quite a while since I got to do that.”
Even with the transition still unfolding, he said the Blue Jackets have made the process easier. Knies noted that there are “a lot of staff, a lot of people helping me,” and said the team has been welcoming from the start.
That comfort is beginning to show in the room, too. Zach Werenski described him as a funny presence, and Knies agreed that his personality is starting to come out more as he spends time with the group. He pointed to the value of road trips, dinners and plane rides in building chemistry with new teammates.
“They’re super welcoming. A lot of talkative guys in there, a lot of loudmouths in there. It’s not quiet, and I love it like that,” he said.
On the ice, that adjustment is still a work in progress. Knies said his chemistry with Fantilli and Johnson is developing, but that it will take more reps before the connection fully clicks. He said the communication is improving and that they’re starting to find each other in the right spots, but the next step is finishing chances.
“We’re finding each other in good areas. We’ve just got to capitalize, right?
He’s had a lot of great chances, and so have I. It’s just about putting the puck in the back of the net,” Knies said.
When the subject turned to Matthews, Knies didn’t pretend the first meeting won’t feel strange. He called it “pretty interesting” to go from skating beside him for three years to lining up against him. But he also sounded eager for it.
“It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be fun,” he said.
“I think he’ll say the same thing, in the sense that it’s not going to be easy against each other. We’ll see.
I’ll let you know after the game how it goes.”
Asked about the financial side of the matchup, Knies smiled and said, “Most likely. These guys are pretty aggressive on there, so most likely.”
For all the noise around the trade, he still speaks warmly about Toronto. He called the Maple Leafs’ fan base “a crazy big fan base” and said, “I wish them the best.
I love those guys on that side. I care a lot about those guys.”
His favorite memory there came during his first call-up, when he was part of JT’s overtime winner against Tampa. Knies said that moment and that playoff run stood out above everything else.
“That was probably the most exciting thing,” he said. “Just being a part of that for the first time, that was so crazy for me.
That playoff run was so cool. That was probably number one.”
Now, though, he says the focus has to shift. Knies likes what Columbus has in front of it - “a lot of young guys to play with, a good core, one of the best defensemen in the league” - and believes the results will come soon enough.
“We’re just going to try to get off on the right foot here,” he said. “We’re not playing our best hockey right now, but I think it’ll show in the next few games here.”
In Other News...
Auston Matthews Is Giving Maple Leafs Fans A New Captaincy Debate
Auston Matthews has looked at his captaincy differently this season, and it has given Maple Leafs fans something else to debate beyond the usual questions about his production and the teams ceiling. There is a sense that his leadership has become more deliberate, both in how he carries himself with the media and in the way he handles his role on the ice, which has made the early read on this season feel a little different than in years past.
One thread worth watching is whether that change is happening in a vacuum or with some help from around the organization. Mats Sundins presence has been floated as a possible influence on Matthews approach, though nothing about that is confirmed, and the broader point is simpler: Matthews may just be settling into the job on his own terms. For a captain under constant scrutiny in Toronto, even a subtle shift in demeanor can turn into a meaningful storyline fast. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Suddenly Have A Jake McCabe Concern They Cant Ignore
Jake McCabes night ended early against the Columbus Blue Jackets after a stick incident forced the Maple Leafs defenseman out of the game in the first period. Toronto confirmed he did not return, leaving the team to wait for more information on what exactly happened and how serious the injury might be.
The concern for the Leafs is obvious because McCabe is such a steady part of their blue line, and any facial injury brings an immediate layer of uncertainty. Head coach Jim Hiller is expected to provide an update, but for now Toronto is left hoping the situation is not as damaging as it looked in the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Blue Line Trouble Just Made This Erik Karlsson Rumor Real
Torontos injury pileup on the blue line has pushed the Maple Leafs into a familiar place this time of year, searching for help and trying to figure out whether a move can steady the back end before the situation gets worse. That search has now sharpened around Erik Karlsson, with reports linking Toronto to the Penguins defenseman as the club weighs how a high-end puck mover would fit into a lineup that has been stretched thin.
Karlsson is still producing offense in Pittsburgh, which is part of why the rumor has real legs, and the fit is easy enough to imagine for a Leafs team looking for immediate impact. The harder part is the price, and nothing has been settled yet, but this is the kind of conversation that tends to get louder once injuries force a contender to explore every possible option. [Read more 🡒]