The Toronto Maple Leafs got practice going on Wednesday and, according to team insider Mark Masters of TSN, young forward Matthew Knies’ time on the ice was cut short when he was injured.
The video shared by Masters shows Knies in visible pain as he is being helped off the ice by several of his teammates. According to other reports on site, Knies appeared unable to put weight on his left leg as he was taken to the team's dressing room.
We await an official update from Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe following the skate.
Knies, who had been skating on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, has put up eight goals and 15 points in 36 games this season. Losing the rookie would be quite a significant blow to the Maple Leafs.
Toronto is back in action on Thursday evening, facing the Islanders in New York.
UPDATE: After practice, coach Keefe however revaled that Knies’ condition was positive and the young forward has not be ruled out from the contest against the Isles.
“We’re not going to know more until tomorrow, but it looks good,” Keefe said. “He’s not ruled out for tomorrow’s game (in New York against the Islanders).”
When asked about what happened, Keefe explained how Knies possibly got caught in a rut on the ice surface.
“It looked pretty innocent, but he just kind of tweaked something,” Keefe said. “He was fearful it was something bad, but sometimes these things settle down and I think that seems to be the case. We won’t really know until it really settles and probably really until he wakes up tomorrow.”
For the remainder of practice, Nick Robertson moved into Knies’ spot on the line. We will get a better update on Thursday ahead of the game in New York.
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