Craig Berube Calls Out Maple Leafs Matthew Knies in Blunt Assessment
Since returning from injury, forward Matthew Knies has struggled heavily and not produced offensively, something his head coach took umbrage with in recent comments.
Coming into the year with high expectations, Matthew Knies has exceeded those and started out guns blazing. However, he was derailed a bit after a nasty check from Zach Whitecloud and he missed some games due to the ordeal.
But ever since coming back he's been quiet, and his play as of late has not been indicative of what he's capable of. With only one goal in his last 13 games, something hasn't clicked with him since returning.
Craig Berube's Expectations For Matthew Knies
Head coach Craig Berube certainly noticed something wrong with Knies, and held nothing back when speaking on his power forward's offensive struggles:
It's hard to see Knies falter and it leads to possible speculation he's still reeling from the effects of the hit. Before being injured, He's put up 12 points in his first 20 games but since returning has only seven points in his last 15.
Whether it's him still feeling his injury, Craig Berube's constant line shuffling, and Auston Matthews' injury; there's a whole mix of things contributing.
The small things like finishing his checks, and not giving up in the zone have been lost on Knies, and although he hits still it feels like he's not being as aggressive as possible.
The issue compared to earlier in the season too is that he's barely shooting. Averaging 1.8 shots per game before his injury, he's dropped to 1.28 shots per game; a fairly considerable drop-off that leads to less opportunities.
Expected to be a crucial part of not only Toronto's top six, but he is trusted to help score on the PP, something he hasn't done since the beginning of November.
He needs to step it up and it might be in Berube's best interest to give him a night off (much like Simon Benoit earlier) and give him a mental reset to get back focus.
Knies will have the chance for redemption and get his season back on track when the Maple Leafs take on the New York Islanders on Dec. 31 at 1pm.
