Auston Matthews returned to practice and nearly took part in a full session. The question is how much longer? The Toronto Maple Leafs were relieved last month when it turned out that Matthew Knies wasn't going to miss much time after he was knocked out of a game following a hit from Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud. Knies only missed two games after his head hit the ice hard following the hit. He returned in a big way, scoring a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 30. But since that time, Knies' contributions have been low. Through 14 games in December, Knies has two goals and three assists. Following Toronto's 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube gave a blunt assessment of Knies' game as of late. "I think he's come back, he's not quite where he was at. The level he was at, we need to get him there. You know, I think the effort's there and things," Berube said. "But there's little things that he can do better and clean up. And, you know, we've got to get him back to that level he was at before he was out." Knies is no strangers to the ebbs and flows of an 82-game last season. During the 2023-24 season, his first full campaign in the NHL, Knies saw himself demoted at a time to the fourth line as his struggled at times with the rigors of the season. The player admitted some of his edge that he exhibited earlier in the season hasn't been there lately. "My play has dipped a bit, not as physical as I want to be," Knies admitted following practice on Monday. "I don’t think there’s a lack of confidence. I just got to get a bounce here and there and focus on what’s working for me and trying to replicate all that stuff." Berube spent a portion of Monday's preparation before practice showing Knies some video "He's got to get to, you know, getting involved more. For me, it's a little bit more reckless. You know, that's the way he played before. Big body guy, could skate extremely well, heavy. I mean, he's got to get reckless again a little bit in his game. Just get more involved, you know, and that's really what it boils down to with him." [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knwkZBE3w5U[/embed] Berube has a point. It's not only that Knies hasn't produced a lot, it's that he's been barely noticeable at times while occupying a highly coveted top-six winger role. Knies isn't superstitious, but he has been doing little things to try and bust out of his funk, like play around with his tape job. He insists any possible contract extension talk with the Leafs hasn't affected him at all. "I think being a little more sound defensively and making simpler plays just being a pest out there and going to the net and stuff. I just think I haven’t been as tough as I want. Just working on things like that I think will make it a little easier and open up a lot of room for me that’s kind of where I’m going to focus." When he's at his best, Knies, Toronto's second round pick (53rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, is the perfect combination of speed, skill and size that can help compliment the Leafs' best players. But with one goal in his last 13 games, the player has looked hesitant and needs to find a spark before he finds himself moving further down the lineup. The 22-year-old had 15 goals and 20 assists in 80 games last season. his recent dip would put him at a slight improvement over the same pace this season.
