The Toronto market is known to be one of the most pressured filled destinations to play in the NHL. As one of the Original 6 teams and the dub of “Canada’s team” expectations will always be high every season no matter where the team is at.
Some players have thrived in that situation, others have not. For many, that pressure eventually drives them away to a new team. Even some of the best Leafs players have jumped ship, see Mitch Marner this past summer as an example.
But for the players who embrace that pressure, they will earn the trust and respect of the passionate Toronto fanbase. One of those players is current Maple Leaf Matthew Knies, who is coming off a long term extension this past offseason that will keep him in Toronto for the next 6 years.
Matthew Knies on playing in Toronto
Knies had some eye opening comments on his reflections of playing for the Maple Leafs. He was asked about the departure of his former teammate Mitch Marner that was highly based on the anxieties of dealing with a relentless Toronto media and fandom. For Knies, that same pressure does not appear to bother him.
Matthew was quoted in a recent interview with The Athletic stating, “I’d be upset with fans if they weren’t unhappy with my game if I wasn’t playing well.” Based on these comments, Knies is a player who craves the pressure and does not shy away from the spotlight of playing in a ruthless city.
Knies will look to reward the Leafs for extending him at a $7.75 million yearly rate with another strong performance this season as he will be one of the players most highly counted on to bring Toronto back to the promised land of another Stanley Cup championship the organization has been waiting on since 1967.
