Maple Leafs’ Knies out day-to-day with upper-body injury, no timeline for return

On Friday, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube revealed that forward Matthew Knies is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Berube also stated that he doesn’t know when he will be available to return to the lineup.

Knies was hurt on Wednesday night during the Maple Leafs’ 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Late in the second period, he received a hit from opposing forward Kirill Marchenko that led to him exiting the game prematurely.

With the recent injury, Knies is expected to miss Saturday night’s game when Toronto visits the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs will have a few days off before returning home to host the Minnesota Wild next Wednesday.

Knies’ absence might lead to an elevated role for someone like Bobby McMann, who was taking line rushes on the line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on Friday.

It isn’t the first time a hit has led Knies to miss time this season, let alone his career. The 22-year-old received a controversial hit from Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud in late November, which kept Knies for a little over a week.

Knies only a couple of games last season, many remember how a hit from Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett gave Knies a concussion, taking him out of the remainder of the playoffs in 2023.

When Knies has been in the lineup this season, he’s been great. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher has potted 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points in 47 games, well on his way to setting a career-high in scoring after pointing 35 points in 2023-24. Knies also has six points on the power play, averaging over 18 minutes of ice time per game while registering a plus/minus of -2.

The Maple Leafs (30-17-2) are three points ahead of the Panthers for first in the Atlantic Division.