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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies (23) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period of game one of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

Matthew Knies Stepping Into Role Marner Never Wanted

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Parsons | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 8:25 AM ET

Mitch Marner is and was an excellent hockey player. He was an elite playmaker comfortable with regularly producing for the Toronto Maple Leafs during his run with the team. What he wasn’t comfortable with was the spotlight and the questions that came when the Leafs and the players needed to be held accountable during the not-so wonderful moments.

Marner was the type of player who, when he spoke, sounded like he was giving canned responses that were fed to him by people who didn’t always have his or the team’s best interest at heart. He went from saying the fans treated him like a god, to essentially blaming them for his decision to leave.

Oftentimes, listening to him respond to criticism from fans, media, and teammates was strange and awkard. His communication rarely felt natural.

Matthew Knies is a different kind of NHL player.

Knies Is Already Embracing a New Role in Toronto

Marner’s trade to the Vegas Golden Knights this offseason marked the end of tiring relationship. Elliotte Friedman suggested the split was like a real-life divorce. The 27-year-old was one of Toronto’s most gifted playmakers, yet he never fully embraced the accountability and leadership mantle that comes with being one of the faces of the franchise.

His legacy these days is one of a whiner, a complainer, and a player who still isn’t willing to take his share of responsibility for the playoff failures of a Leafs team that needed him to step up in big moments. Fair or unfair, Marner’s years in Toronto were often clouded by questions about whether he wanted to carry the burden when things got difficult.

Knies is proving quickly that he’s game to take on a bigger role that comes with his bigger contract.

The Leafs need more than just production. They need personality, voice, and a player who is willing to stand up when things aren’t going right. Knies has already shown he’s unafraid to take the heat. Following a loss to Florida, Knies called the team “a little bit soft”. It was a surprise to some to hear him be so direct, but that kind of candor — direct, uncomfortable, but honest — is exactly what Toronto’s front office has been missing.

He told The Athletic on Monday:

“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 unhappy with my game if I wasn’t playing well.”
source – “Leafs’ Matthew Knies won’t shy away from the spotlight: ‘I’m playing for the whole city’ – Joshua Kloke – The Athletic – 09/08/2025

How refreshing. And, Knies isn’t just saying things like this to say them. As Kloke explains, he spent his summer in Minnesota, living with fellow hockey players, training, and mapping out his own development plan. He took that plan and told the Leafs exactly where he needed to improve — wall play, quickness, precision with the puck — and then put in the work.

Toronto didn’t need to micromanage him; he embraced the responsibility of growth on his own.

Filling a Much Need Void In Toronto

Marner rarely wanted to be the face of the group or the media in challenging moments. When things got tricky, he bickered with his teammates and shied away from taking questions. He wouldn’t allow media at his charity events, and regurgitated the same kind of bland takes on the Leafs’ consistent struggles.

Fans won’t miss that part of Marner after his move to Vegas.

Knies, on the other hand, has embraced the role in just his third full NHL season. Knowing his new contract comes with more pressure, he’s determined to become both a top-line scorer and a central voice in the room. His six-year, $46.5 million extension this summer signals that Toronto sees him as someone the franchise has faith in.

Knies understands that there will be a transition period with Marner leaving. “It feels really weird, to be honest,” he said. “It’s hard to picture him in a different jersey.” Yet, in the same breath, he admitted what the trade meant: more room to become a voice on the team and a player fans can look to.

“I have to perform better and take on a little bit more ice time or take on a bigger role. If that’s what’s needed and expected, then you know I’m going to be ready for it.”