Why this Maple Leafs player has surprised Berube the most

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Craig Berube is just like the rest of us, in a sense.

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When the Maple Leafs coach was asked on Thursday morning which player has surprised him the most in his first year running the Toronto bench, he didn’t look beyond the top line.

And no, we’re not talking about captain Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner.

“That’s a good question,” Berube said. “There have been a lot of guys that have played extremely well.

“I think Matthew Knies has surprised me, the growth I talked about from training camp on and throughout the season, how he’s grown as a player and what he has accomplished this year. I’m not sure I pictured that.

“So he has been a special surprise, not a surprise so much, because the ability was there. But he’s young, and as a young guy, to me, he’s grown quickly.”

Knies scored 15 goals and had 20 assists in 80 games last season, giving observers a hint of what was to come.

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In 2024-25, Knies has blossomed beyond expectations — both inside and outside the organization — in several ways.

The 22-year-old Knies went into the Leafs’ regular-season finale on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings with on the cusp of 30 goals, having scored 29 through 77 games. And he also had 27 assists for tidy points total of 56.

Along the way, Knies has established himself as burgeoning power forward, using his 6-foot-3, 227-pound body effectively on the forecheck and in front of the opposition’s net. His confidence has increased as the season has progressed.

There has been nothing to suggest Knies won’t have a similar impact once the Leafs and Ottawa Senators start to engage in the Battle of Ontario in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, rumoured to start on Sunday.

His game is built for playoff hockey.

Knies, a restricted free agent, has put himself in line for a hefty raise. As for that and the potential of an offer sheet from another National Hockey League team, they’re not front-burner issues right now.

It’s about the playoffs — and Knies is ready.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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