Toronto Maple Leafs superstar center Auston Matthews took the ice for the club's optional morning skate on Saturday. But when will he return to game action? Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit didn't like Zach Whitecloud's hit on Matthew Knies on Wednesday night. He still doesn't appreciate it the following morning. Knies left the game following the hit and didn't return. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Thursday that the 23-year-old is still being evaluated, but is recovering. "I think his feet were off the ice when he hit Kniesy right to the head, so I had to go in there and just protect my teammate. I think it was just not a good hit. We're not going to go back on their call, but I don't think it's a good call." After Knies was hit, Benoit stepped in and wrestled with Whitecloud. The 26-year-old defenseman received an extra roughing penalty on the play, giving the Vegas Golden Knights a power play, which they couldn't score on. Benoit didn't say he was surprised about getting an extra two minutes but said standing up for your teammates is important, especially in a collision like Knies had. "You never really know what they're going to call, right?" Benoit said. "It's not ideal, but sometimes you gotta do it for protection of your teammates." The defenseman added that there isn't much thinking in moments like that, either. It's all reactionary. "You see a play like that, and you just get to let him know that it's not something that's in the past, you know, and hopefully he remembers it." Knies has had a strong start to the season, playing within Toronto's top six. He's averaging 17:57 of ice time — four more minutes than he averaged last year — and has eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 20 games. "He's been a big part of our team. He's big, he goes on the forecheck, he bring a lot of that all the way to the net," Benoit said of Knies' contributions this year. "This situation is certainly not ideal, but some guys will have to step up while he's recovering." Toronto has a few days until their next game on Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club. That'll give Knies a few more days to recover after the hit, however, at this point, it's still unknown if he'll be in the lineup this weekend. The Maple Leafs are dealing with several injuries, but they've managed well. Auston Matthews has missed all of Toronto's games since Nov. 5, and the team has gone 6-1 without him. But it'll be a bit longer before the Maple Leafs return to somewhat full health.
