Matthew Knies Stepping Into Role Marner Never Wanted – The Hockey Writers –

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.

Related: Which Maple Leafs Get the Pressure With Marner Gone?

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.