With the postseason looming, the decision to keep a clearly hampered Matthew Knies in the lineup raises the high-stakes question of whether the Maple Leafs are prioritizing short-term grit over his long-term health.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs rounding out their season and their playoff aspirations all but mathematically dashed, there has been talk about potentially giving other players an opportunity to get more ice time. Part of that strategy would involve shutting down any player currently dealing with an injury or ailment—and Matthew Knies certainly fits that description.
However, Knies appears to have no appetite to slow down, despite dealing with a knee injury that has caused him problems all season long. “It’s kind of an injury that I don’t think could get much worse. So, I don’t think there’s any risk in me playing,” Knies said ahead of his team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“It's obviously not comfortable playing through it, but I feel like everyone's playing through something at this time of year. So that's not really an excuse," Knies added. "If it's not going to get worse, and there's no problem with me playing, then I'm going to play”.
Knies’s knee flared up in November, forcing him to miss three games and several practices due to what the team described as “maintenance”. He later revealed the extent of the injury while admitting he was looking forward to the Olympic break, where his knee could get some much-needed rest.
With a 29-28-12 record, the Leafs are 14 points out of a playoff spot with only 13 games remaining. So long as they haven’t been officially eliminated, it may make sense to dress the team’s best players. Nevertheless, Knies admitted he will need to take a deeper look at his options heading into the offseason.
“I'm going to reevaluate it once the summer hits," Knies said. "I'll try to have a good plan for summer training to make sure that when I come back for the next training camp and next season, I'm fully healthy and ready to take on 82 or 84 games”.
While Knies admitted back in January that the injury was the type that worsened as he played, he now insists he is fine. It will be interesting to see if the team takes a different approach once the Leafs are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
The 23-year-old Knies has 18 goals and 39 assists in 66 games this season. He's one point away from matching his career high from 57 points.