Blue Jackets’ Knies Ready to Turn Page as He Faces Maple Leafs For First Time

It was a date that Matthew Knies and others had circled on the calendar. October 20, 2026. It’s the one and only trip to Columbus for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.

Knies will face the Maple Leafs while Kirill Marchenko will come back to Nationwide Arena to face the Blue Jackets for the first time since the massive trade. Emotions should run high for a game like this especially given that both teams need wins.

While some other former Blue Jackets will be back in Columbus, Jack Roslovic and Nick Blankenburg to name a couple (Sergei Bobrovsky reportedly didn’t travel), the big story is Knies and Marchenko.

Knies addressed the media on Tuesday morning. Based on what he said, he’s ready to turn the page once and for all from the Maple Leafs.

Knies Trying to Settle In

“Yeah, it’s fun,” Knies said. “It’s hard not to take it like every other game, but that’s the mindset you have to have to stay focused. Focus on the guys in my locker room and that’s about it.”

Knies and the Blue Jackets are coming off a weekend that saw them win one and lose one. They defeated the New York Rangers 1-0 on Saturday but then lost to the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Sunday.

The Blue Jackets need to find their offense. Knies believes things are trending in the right direction with his line in particular.

“I think it’s growing,” Knies said. “It takes some time, some repetition, some practices. But yeah, it’s growing. Our communication is getting better. I think we’re finding each other in good areas. We just got to capitalize. He’s had a lot of great chances and so have I. It’s just about putting the puck in the back of the net.”

Not only is it an adjustment on the ice for Knies, it’s been a major one off the ice. He says he’s finally been able to settle in some, even if he just finally spent a night out of the hotel.

“A little bit,” Knies said about being settled in. “It takes some time to settle in, really. Moving so far away, different division, little things like that. I’m getting used to it and getting used to the guys here. A lot of staff, a lot of people helping me and a lot of hands-on to get me feeling as comfortable as possible as quickly as possible. It’ll take some time, but I’m slowly there.”

“Last night was my first night out of the hotel in Columbus, so it feels like I’ve been on the road for quite a while now. First home-cooked meal in a while. You don’t really think about that kind of stuff when you get traded and just how long it takes to get all of your belongings and stuff over here, get my parents situated to be able to come watch the games, family and friends, really. This is the first time driving to the game too, so finding the parking lot, finding my spot, little things like that. It takes some time. We’re only seven games in, but it’s been quite a while since I’ve had to do that. It’s a long road, but again, getting more settled. A lot of guys, a lot of people help me so it’s been good.”

Knies Ready to Turn Page

While Knies still has multiple trips to Toronto this season, he’s ready to turn the page on his time with the Maple Leafs. Even still, he had a lot of good memories of his time.

He still has much love for Leafs nation to this day.

“A lot of love,” Knies said. Obviously, a crazy big fan base. It’s a big hockey market and everyone wants to win there. So again, I wish them the best. I love those guys on that side. I care a lot about those guys.”

“But again, I got to kind of turn the page a little bit now and focus on the guys here and focus on winning – focus on separating myself from them.”

Blue Jackets Focused on Game

The Blue Jackets need to start stacking wins. While the atmosphere inside Nationwide Arena should be electric especially the reception Marchenko gets, the team can’t lose their focus.

“We keep our focus on the process,” coach Rick Bowness said. “There’s a lot of noise, we get that. You start worrying about that, it’s a distraction. So we’re all well aware, deal with it, right? Both teams are going to deal with it, but we’re trying to keep our guys dialed in on what we have to do to win the hockey game. The rest of that stuff will take care of itself.”

While offense has been an early issue for the Blue Jackets, Bowness likes the direction the top line is going on. He thinks something will break for them soon.

“They’re getting chances. I think they’re on the cusp of going on a little bit of a run here,” Bowness said. “If they’re not getting those chances, you’re saying ‘Okay, where’s the chemistry?’ But we are seeing it. We are seeing them read off each other … The chemistry is there. It’s going to come.”

Once Knies gets settled in, Bowness believes the upside will be seen.

“I think there’s a lot more there for sure,” Bowness said. “We’re still feeling him out a little bit … We’re doing a couple of different things that Toronto did and sometimes, I see him lapsing into that. We’ll be just ‘Okay, that’s not how we do it here.’ So we have to help him. That’s our job as coaches to help him through that. And then we’ll have a better feel. I’ve always been a fan of his, so I think there’s more to the upside.”