Knies was a full participant in practice on Friday in Edmonton, skating on the top line and power play unit.
After missing two games due to an upper-body injury, Matthew Knies looks to be returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.
The 22-year-old was a full participant in practice on Friday in Edmonton, skating on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner while rejoining the top power-play unit.
“Yeah, it felt good. I felt I got all my strength back and that I was ready to go, so I think I should be in for tomorrow,” said Knies after practice.
Head coach Craig Berube provided an update on the recoveries of both Matthew Knies and John Tavares, noting that, based on Knies’ progress in practice, it’s highly likely the forward will return to action Saturday against the Oilers.
“We'll see. I mean, they seem good today. Just got to – like I said, full practice felt good. So good chance, but we'll see,” Berube said.
Knies also revealed that his upper-body injury sustained in the Leafs' 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 22 was an ailment to his shoulder. As a result, the forward has been sidelined for the past two games after he threw a hit on Blue Jackets’ Kirill Marchenko and fell awkwardly.
“Yeah, I don't know. It's kind of a fluky play. Just try to get body position on them. It felt kind of awkward there,” explained Knies. “It just didn't feel comfortable with my shoulder, and that's kind of the reason I wanted to take some time, heal it up, and make sure I was 100% to go for the next game.”
Diving into the specifics, the former second-round pick mentioned the injury occurred on the initial hit rather than the eventual fall afterward. He has used the two-game break as time to strengthen his shoulder and ensure a full recovery.
“I think it was more the initial hit. I think the fall obviously didn't really help it at all either, but fortunate for me it wasn't anything serious,” said Knies. “Just needed a few days to do some rehab and get it back to 100%.”
The injury marked his second of the season, having previously missed two games in November following a hit from Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud where his head hit the ice.
“It's a challenge, stepping back into it, not having too many team practices,” Knies explained. “I only have one under my belt before the game tomorrow. So I think just sticking to the simple things, that were giving me success before I got injured.”
“Just kind of going over it in my head a lot is going to help me. But, yeah, I think that gives me confidence that I came back strong from the last one,” he added.
His return is a welcome boost for Toronto, who have struggled offensively in his absence, scoring just one goal in each of their last three games, including the game he was injured.
Despite the setbacks, Knies has been having a career year, surpassing his high in the goals category with 18. The forward has added 13 assists and 31 points in 47 games, on pace to break his most productive season of 35 points.
Knies’ return is a positive sign for the Leafs, who are hoping to spark their offense and snap their current three-game losing slump ahead of the upcoming two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
