The Toronto Maple Leafs were down a forward for the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Knies exited the game late in the second period. He collided with Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko attempting to throw a hit. Knies fell to the ice hard and slid into the referee in the process. After, he proceeded to the bench and never played another shift for the Maple Leafs.
The team announced early in the third period that the left winger would not return to the game. This is not the first time Knies had to leave a game early due to an injury. The Leafs’ first-liner was hit hard by Zach Whitecloud of the Vegas Golden Knights back in November. The hit forced Knies to miss some time.
Maple Leafs F Matthew Knies will not return to tonight’s game (upper body).
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) January 23, 2025
Knies Out Indefinitely
It’s unknown how long Knies will be out. However, he could miss some time after suffering an upper-body injury against Columbus in a 5-1 loss. Toronto is already missing Max Pacioretty and Connor Dewar as they both deal with injuries. Head coach Craig Berube listed them as day-to-day. Also, John Tavares has been out for the last few games with a lower-body injury he suffered in practice. Earlier this season, the Leafs faced the ultimate personnel test, missing seven forwards at one point.
However, Knies will be a huge loss, even if the team knows what it’s like to miss him. In 47 games this season, the 22-year-old has 18 goals and 31 points. That’s good enough for fifth on the team’s scoring list. The youngster was coming off a three-point night against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Furthermore, in eight career games against the Lightning, Knies has seven goals and six assists for 13 points.
Main Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
