Matthew Knies' Actions at Practice Confirm His Fate for the Battle of Ontario
Matthew Knies is still dealing with an injury suffered against the Columbus Blue Jackets and his status for Saturday's game is all but set in stone.
With the Maple Leafs dealing with several injuries again, one of the biggest is none other than Matthew Knies'. Building off a breakout season, he's been even better and the fact that he's missing more time again is not only bad for his progress but the team's offense.
Matthew Knies' Injury Status For Battle Of Ontario
Knies suffered an injury during Toronto's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and while it seemed like it wasn't the worst injury, his collision with a linesman led to his removal.
Though he made an appearance at on the ice Friday, it seems like the power forward is going to miss a crucial Battle of Ontario.
With his absence at practice and news that Max Domi is wearing a Top 6 jersey, Knies is going to miss the Ottawa game unless a miracle happens.
It's tough that Toronto is down two-thirds of their second line and a very integral part to their first. Knies has been a tank this season and shown that not only can he bring a load of offense, but he slowly turning into a very good 200-foot player.
This year, Knies has 18 goals and 13 assists but has also added 109 hits as a first-line player, he's taking less penalties and his shooting has been lights out, with over 20% (he seems to score once every five shots) which is an incredible rate of production.
Let's also not forget that Knies is still only 22 years old and the trajectory he's on shows that he could be one of the NHL's elite in a very short time.
Though it remains to be seen when Knies will be back, at least Toronto has a bit of breathing room after a rough January.
The team faces Ottawa on Saturday before Minnesota on Wednesday and hopefully giving the forward enough time to recover and come back even stronger.
All signs are pointing to Knies' eventual return and it's a good sign, as with Anthony Stolarz on the mend too; the Maple Leafs are starting to look like the dangerous force that fans had hoped for.
