​John Chayka GettyThe Toronto Maple Leafs open up their preseason slate on Saturday night against their rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, and they do so with a ton of optimism.Despite missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade last season, the Maple Leafs enter the 2026-27 season with a renewed sense of optimism. The Leafs are bringing back many key players and have reloaded with two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky, added rising star defenseman Darren Raddysh and selected offensive phenom Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick.One of those key returning players is none other than Matthew Knies. The rising forward is coming off of his best season, posting 23 goals and 43 assists for a total of 66 points. Knies ranked fourth on the team in goals and second in assists last season.The 23-year-old was one of the Leafs’ most prized possessions on the market in the offseason as Knies’ name was frequently mentioned in trade rumors. However, that never came to fruition and Knies will enter his fifth season as a member of the Maple Leafs.During media availability over the past few days, Knies commented on new general manager John Chayka choosing to retain the young forward instead of trading him for assets.Via Anna Dua of Sportsnet:“He felt that I was a valuable piece here and that’s kind of what I have to earn and show every day… I want to be here…they need me here… keep going with that mindset and hopefully it all works out and I can stay in the blue and white for a very long time,” said Knies.Matthew Knies One of Maple Leafs’ Top PlayersKnies has proven to be one of the Maple Leafs’ top players and considering he’s only 23 years old, he’s only scratched the surface. He’s currently on a six-year, $46.5 million deal that will keep him under contract through the 2030-31 season.He dealt with a knee injury throughout last season but he didn’t miss a game after Nov. 26.Knies said he’s “100 percent” coming into this season.“Yeah I’m back to 100 percent, no issues with it and it’s not going to be a problem this year,” Knies said.It’s clear the Maple Leafs are not in a rebuild and that they’re aiming to contend and win a Stanley Cup as soon as this season. It’s worth noting they’re only a little more than a year removed from pushing the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to seven games in the playoffs. It was the Panthers’ toughest test of the postseason as no other team pushed them to seven games during that playoff run.Auston Matthews Gives Heavy Praise to Matthew KniesAuston Matthews, the Leafs’ top player and the captain gave major praise to the young forward leading into their preseason opener against the Canadiens.“For him, he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his ceiling,” Matthews said of Knies. “He’s going to continue to get better and better, and he works at it as well. He’s a team-first guy and that’s something you can appreciate about somebody. He