Matthew Knies Reveals Who Should Replace Mitch Marner on the Leafs' First Line

Matthew Knies had a wonderful season with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25 as he played on the first line with guys like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

However, going into this season, Knies will have to make some adjustments as Marner is no longer on the team. For now, there is no telling who the first-line right-winger will be.

After scoring 29 goals last season, the young forward will be looking to hit the 30-goal plateau, but that might prove to be a difficult task without a right-winger who can get 75 assists by his side.

Recently, Matthew Knies was at a promotional event for Tylenol, and it was here that reporters asked him about adjusting to life without Marner.

From there, the forward then decided to suggest a potential replacement for Marner. He noted that he would love to play alongside William Nylander.

A top line of Nylander, Matthews, and Knies would be phenomenal. Unfortunately, it would change the balance of the entire lineup in a negative way.

Nylander and John Tavares have been perfect together on the second line, and there is no reason to change that right now.

As for Marner's replacement, it is likelier to be someone like Matias Maccelli or Max Domi. It is not ideal, but this is what the Leafs have to work with right now.

The next few weeks and months will be fascinating to watch, and Leafs fans are very eager to watch this all play out.