Did the Maple Leafs Give Matthew Knies a Chance to Shine?

I have a feeling Maple Leafs fans will be watching Matthew Knies pretty closely this season. It's hard not to. He didn't want to leave Toronto, and from everything we've heard, he enjoyed playing there. He had friends in the room, knew his role, and was coming off a season in which he put up 23 goals and 66 points.

Then came the trade to Columbus, and suddenly he was starting over. Well, if his first two games with the Blue Jackets are any indication, he isn't planning to spend much time feeling sorry for himself.

Knies scored twice and added an assist in Columbus' 6-3 win over Buffalo. He added a point in his second game, too. One goal came on the power play, and the other was the game-winner. That's three points in his debut, and a pretty good way to introduce yourself to a new set of fans.

Sometimes a Change You Didn't Want Can Open a Door.

Here's what I love about this story. Knies was already a good player in Toronto. Nobody needs to pretend otherwise. He scored more than 20 goals in each of the past two seasons, and he brought something beyond offence. He could get involved physically, work along the boards, and do the kind of things coaches appreciate even when they don't show up on the scoresheet.

But in Columbus, he gets a fresh opportunity. He is expected to play on the top line with Adam Fantilli and work on the power play with Zach Werenski. That's a pretty nice situation for a 23-year-old who still has room to grow. Maybe this is where we find out just how much more there is to Knies' game.

Of course, two games don't tell us that the trade was a mistake for Toronto. Kirill Marchenko is a talented scorer, and the Maple Leafs had their reasons for making the deal. Trades are about improving a team, not winning a popularity contest.

Still, I can understand why some Toronto fans might feel a little sad watching Knies succeed somewhere else. He wasn't asking to leave. Sometimes hockey makes those decisions for you.

What Maple Leafs Fans Should Watch.

I'm interested in seeing what happens over the next few months. Can Knies build on this start? Can he develop the kind of chemistry with Fantilli that turns him into an even more productive player? And perhaps the bigger question is whether Toronto will miss more of what he brought than the goals and assists suggest.

I'm happy for the kid. He has a chance to make something of this new opportunity, and he certainly got off to a terrific start. Now we'll see where it goes. That's the interesting part of hockey. A trade closes one door, opens another, and sometimes the player who walks through it surprises everyone.