The Toronto Maple Leafs will lose yet another key piece tonight, as forward Matthew Knies was excluded with a lower body injury. The announcement came just hours before the puck kicked off, catching many people off guard. Sammy Blais will be added to the lineup.
Knies showed no visible signs of injury during Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and had fully participated in practice leading up to tonight’s game.
His absence adds to Toronto’s impressive list of injured regulars. The Leafs are now missing seven key players: Auston Matthews, Nicholas Roy, Scott Laughton, Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, Anthony Stolarzand now Knies. It’s a brutal time for a team that’s already struggling to find consistency in its lineup.
The Leafs did not provide any details on how Knies was injured or when it may have happened, only noting that it is considered one day. With Toronto’s depth tested more than at any time this season, the team will need contributions from its secondary players to remain competitive.
For now, all eyes will be on updates in the coming days as the Leafs look for positive news on the growing injury front. The hope is that the Maple Leafs can find help internally. General manager Brad Treliving said in his press conference Tuesday morning: “We’re going through injuries, but you know what? Everybody’s going through injuries. So you look around the league, there’s some good teams that have injuries. So, to me, it’s a losing mentality. I’ve been in this game a long time, I’ve yet to meet a player that says ‘you know what? Give me fewer opportunities. Everyone wants more opportunities. Everyone wants a bigger role.”
Matthews will miss at least two more games as he continues to recover from his Nov. 11 injury, although he returned to skating today. Chris Tanev will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks, and Nicolas Roy will be absent for a few games.
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