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The Toronto Maple Leafs have 12 games remaining before their first-round matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and over the next three weeks, they will be concentrating on getting injured players like Ryan O’Reilly back in the lineup and finding the best line combinations to combat the three-time Eastern Conference champions.
The Leafs are currently carrying 12 forwards with O’Reilly on LTIR for another week and Bobby McMann out with a knee injury. O’Reilly is expected to be back well before the end of the regular season, and Toronto is expected to have the services of prospect Matthew Knies sometime in April, depending on how deep the University of Minnesota goes in the NCAA Tournament.
Matt Knies (#89) finished the regular-season portion of the year this past weekend with Minnesota. Here are all of his goals and notable assists.
The top-seeded Golden Gophers face Canisius on Thursday and if they reach the Frozen Four, the Hobey Baker finalist will not be available until the second week of April, when the Leafs gave two or three games left before the playoffs.
"I think there's always that intrigue this time of year in signing guys, hoping that they can come in and help out." Leafs center Auston Matthews said. "Hopefully the year he's had (with Minnesota) gives him some confidence coming in and then finishing the season and seeing where that goes and jumping in. It's quite a jump, but obviously, he's a mature young guy and we'll do everything we can to help him out and give them the best opportunity to succeed."
The question is how and where Knies could potentially fit in Toronto’s post-season scheme. Based on head coach Sheldon Keefe’s normal operating procedure, it is likely that the 20-year-old winger would at best play protected minutes, and familiarity and comfort level will be difficult to achieve if he is only able to play a couple of games at the end of the year. Toronto has found a comfort level with veterans Zach Aston-Reese, David Kampf, and Noel Acciari on the fourth line, and it would be hard to believe that Keefe would insert Knies in a top-six role, which would limit their options for their prized prospect to the third line.
The Leafs toyed with the idea of playing O’Reilly up the middle on the third line before suffering a broken finger and with Tampa deep up the middle with Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, and Nick Paul, it is likely that Keefe will combat that with Matthews, John Tavares, and O’Reilly. If Knies does slot in on the third line, having an experienced Selke Trophy-winning center to cover for potential rookie miscues would be ideal.
It is expected in Thursday’s matchup against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, FL that Erik Gustafsson and Timothy Liljegren will sit in favor of TJ Brodie and Luke Schenn and Wayne Simmonds will take McMann’s spot on the right side.
Injured blueliner Carl Dahlstrom (shoulder) was placed on waivers after coming off injured reserve and will be sent to the AHL Marlies if he clears on Friday. This move enabled the Leafs to recall goalie Joseph Woll with Ilya Samsonov leaving the team for the birth of his first child.
Matt Murray will get the start for the Leafs in the first of three games in four nights against Sergei Bobrovsky.
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