Rookie winger Matthew Knies sustained a concussion in the second round of the playoffs last spring.
Rookie winger Matthew Knies sustained a concussion in the second round of the playoffs last spring.
Matthew Knies could've appeared in Game 6 for the Maple Leafs, if there was one.
The 20-year-old spoke to the media Wednesday ahead of the Traverse City Prospects Tournament. While speaking to the media, he revealed he was set to play in Game 6 after recovering from a concussion.
Knies went behind the net with the Panthers' Sam Bennett to which Bennett wrestled the NHL rookie to the ice, resulting in a concussion.
"I was actually cleared the day we lost," Knies revealed on Wednesday ahead of the Traverse City Prospect Tournament. "I was eligible to play in the following game. But after the season ended, I took a few weeks off of the ice and training just to make sure I'm 100 percent back.
"So I took two or three weeks off to clear my head and just focus on my recovery before I got back to my summer training."
Going from being a heavily relied upon player in your first 11 games to sitting on the sidelines watching the most important hockey of the year can be difficult to swallow.
But for Knies, he understood that whatever happens, happens. The Arizona native was just happy to be along for of the ride.
"Yeah, I mean it happens. It's out of my control," Knies said. "But yeah, I mean I was super frustrated. It was such fun games to be a part of. The guys were so welcoming in that aspect that it made it so fun to be a part of that group and that winning culture.
"It sucked that I couldn't be a part of it, but I'm hoping to get a crack at it this year and get another chance to play with them and hopefully make it far."
Knies is taking part in his first rookie tournament with the Maple Leafs as they head to Traverse City, Michigan for three games. Although Knies was a surprise name on the list of players going, he's hoping this tournament will help him gear up for training camp next week.
But even then, he knows that a difficult task lies ahead.
"It's never easy. I don't think there's any guarantee to play in the NHL," Knies said about making the Maple Leafs, "so I think you just got to work your butt off and bury your head every day and just go back to work and take it day by day."
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