Jim Hiller sends lukewarm message to Matthew Knies after another pitiful performance

Jim Hiller didn't really have a lot of praise for Matthew Knies after two lacklustre performances but he still has confidence in the Maple Leafs power forward.

It was a much better showing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their second split-squad game against the Ottawa Senators. The 'A' squad trounced the Sens in Toronto with a 6-1 effort, meanwhile the 'B' squad put in a gritty effort to come out with a 4-2 win.

Among the bright spots were Gavin McKenna, who scored his first point as a Maple Leaf, and the return of Auston Matthews, who is looking as good as ever - a stark contrast to the last two years. But one player stood out, perhaps for the wrong reasons.

Matthew Knies' preseason draws slight criticism from Jim Hiller

Matthew Knies has been pretty quiet throughout this preseason stretch, recording only two shots, three hits, and a minus-2. While it's still early of course, it's not a good sign to see someone who is expected to be so effective be the complete opposite.

Head coach Jim Hiller admitted that Knies still has time to turn it around but had a pretty mild assessment of his forward after Toronto's 6-1 victory:

I thought he was better tonight. He wasn't that dangerous. I think he only ended up with one shot on goal. Took one to the net. So I think this has been okay. I wouldn't say strongly one way or the other. I think there's more there for sure.

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Hiller's purgatorial comments show that Knies has to do a lot more to win over his new bench boss. Knies has not shown nearly enough physicality or confidence with the puck, and it's starting to show with his lineup placement.

Gavin McKenna has already leapfrogged Matthew Knies

It took all of five shifts for Hiller to swap Knies for McKenna to give him a go, and while it wasn't as effective as everyone had anticipated, there was a clear desire to change things. With McKenna oozing confidence every time he touched the puck, Hiller rewarded him and Knies was a casualty.

Knies' placement in the lineup has been a hotly debated topic recently as there are questions about whether he truly does gel with Auston Matthews. There's still time and Hiller quickly brought Knies back into the fold, but it's still not a good look for the forward.

Despite a career year last season, Knies is still able to reach a higher level of production and he could very well just be figuring out the new system and where he's comfortable given how different Hiller is to Craig Berube.

But when an 18-year-old rookie already takes your spot after five shifts, that's a sign that perhaps things are not going to be as easy as they have been over the past three years for Knies, and he'll need to prove last year wasn't just a product of his environment - but that he's ready to be that superstar Toronto needs.

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