Speculation: Toronto's Left Wing: Not So Great. Bertuzzi demotion, Knies disappearing and not producing, and Jarnkrok not so great...

[Lightsol]

No. I disagree. Do you remember how quickly TOR put Knies into the most important hockey of his career? He had 10 regular season games and then boom: 13 min. a night in Stanley Cup Playoffs. No one is expecting 30 goals, but he has to be something special for TOR if Keefe ever wants to see some success in the playoffs. Knies is 21. He can expect more ice time and more pressure to produce.

Keefe's not going to do that until Knies has more experience. Because that's how Keefe has rolled with rookies.

 

[mjd1001]

Knies is a kid and really shouldn't be leaned on too much for production anyway.

Thank you.

He is a decent for a young guy, and he shows flashes of being very good. But you know what happens with a LOT of young guys around the league that aren't quite ready for the NHL yet? MOST of them show flashes. It takes time for those flashes to turn into consistency.

If the leafs bottom 6 is so bad he can make the team, fine. But if they did have a stronger bottom 6 he would be best served getting a ton of ice time, PP, PK, every situation with the Marlies and then getting a callup.

 

[TMLAM34]

Regardless of production or not, Knies is definitely an NHL player. I don’t think he’d gain a whole lot playing in the AHL.

The issue/mistake comes from our coach and expecting Knies to carry a third line with two extremely one dimensional players… Kampf defensively and Domi offensively.

Knies has never really “carried” a line in his career and has always been more of right hand man.

It really comes back to Keefe really misusing him.

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Bertuzzi - Tavares - Nylander

OR

Bertuzzi - Matthews - Nylander
Knies - Tavares - Marner

I’d really like to see something like this for a couple games. Or if you really want to shake things up and not cater to the core four.

Knies - Matthews - Bertuzzi
Domi - Tavares - Marner
Jarnkrok - Holmberg - Nylander

 

[WillyC]

These threads… lol

Knies and Bedard… 7 points each.

Jarnkrok… 2 goals and the overtime winner.

 

[Evilhomer]

These threads… lol

Knies and Bedard… 7 points each.

Jarnkrok… 2 goals and the overtime winner.

I'm pretty sure that if Bedard was playing on a line with Matthews and Marner he would have about 20 points by now.

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

Just keep Knies on that first line and don’t mess with it for a while. He should be on that line all season really. It’s the right fit for him and the team.

 

[Oscar Peterson]

I think Knies looks like our best LWer, he's just largely had his talents wasted thus far... think he should be tried on Matthews' LW

Lol well at least this take is aging well so far

 

[notDatsyuk]

I posted this in the Domi thread but I’d try this lineup. What can it hurt cause what we have been doing isn’t working.

Knies-Matthews-Marner
Jarnkrok-Tavares-Nylander
Robertson-Domi-Bertuzzi
Gregor-Kampf-Holmberg
Waive Reeves he is useless anyway.

The idea is that the 3rd line is an all offensive line with heavy offensive zone starts. Jarnkrok can help be the defensive conscious on the 2nd line. The 4th line is a defensive matchup line with heavy defensive zone starts. You could switch Jarnkrok and Bertuzzi to bump up the 2nd line offensively and the 3rd line defensively.

Swap Domi with JT and I like it.

 

[rocketman588]

Knies at the very least will get in the corner to get pucks for the other two. I would keep him there.

 

[studebaker17]

Knies at the very least will get in the corner to get pucks for the other two. I would keep him there.

He also creates space in front of the net by forcing d to try and contain him .

 

[rocketman588]

He also creates space in front of the net by forcing d to try and contain him .

Exactly he's a great fit if we're going to continue to roll them together. Especially if Bertuzzi just wants to cash his paycheck

 

[colchar]

Knies has to be better.

Maybe he just needed to be slotted in with the right linemates?

 

[WillyC]

7 points each

Knies +5
Bedard -8

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Maybe he just needed to be slotted in with the right linemates?

Why would you ask this question today?

 

[Gary Nylund]

Just keep Knies on that first line and don’t mess with it for a while. He should be on that line all season really. It’s the right fit for him and the team.

As long as it keeps working, sure. And I suspect it will work very well, seems like a great fit and Knies was so good in the playoffs. I know it's a small sample size but still, I feel like his talents would be wasted in the bottom six.

Why would you ask this question today?

Seemed to me like it was a rhetorical question.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Only a GM that just the boot from his previous organization would think signing other teams unwanted trash was a good idea.

No wonder Domi has been passed around the NHL like a joint. Bertuzzi betting on himself and losing is funnier than whatever he was laughing at on the bench looking like he just smoked that joint. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the worst LW in the league.

This is what happens when you build your team using other teams rejects.

Think about that for a second. How incredibly stupid it sounds. The Leafs just tried to assemble a Stanley Cup contending team using players dumped by their previous organizations.

$8.5M on two guys nobody else in the NHL wanted.

Sounds pretty bizarre when you put it that way doesn't it? I'm flabbergasted more people haven't realized how screwed up it really is. Just build your team out of players other teams don't want.

Rejects signing other rejects.

 

[Leaffan1991]

Sign Knies long term this off season. Even if it's a little more than he's worth right now it'll be worth it in the long run

 

[robertmac43]

Knies was with Kampf for much of the start of this season.... There is your answer for this "struggles"

 

[notDatsyuk]

Only a GM that just the boot from his previous organization would think signing other teams unwanted trash was a good idea.

No wonder Domi has been passed around the NHL like a joint. Bertuzzi betting on himself and losing is funnier than whatever he was laughing at on the bench looking like he just smoked that joint. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the worst LW in the league.

This is what happens when you build your team using other teams rejects.

Think about that for a second. How incredibly stupid it sounds. The Leafs just tried to assemble a Stanley Cup contending team using players dumped by their previous organizations.

$8.5M on two guys nobody else in the NHL wanted.

Sounds pretty bizarre when you put it that way doesn't it? I'm flabbergasted more people haven't realized how screwed up it really is. Just build your team out of players other teams don't want.

Rejects signing other rejects.

That's really bizarre - are you unaware that every team is constantly doing exactly the same thing?

Bertuzzi's situation is actually similar to Tavares' - played for the team that drafted him (with a very brief detour to Boston), and signed as a free agent with the team he wanted to.

Luke Schenn is on his tenth NHL team, but that piece of unwanted trash has two Stanley Cup rings, and many posters here wish we had resigned him.