Maple Leafs' latest roster move suddenly makes sense after the Matthew Knies news
Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
The Maple Leafs recalled Jacob Quillan on Monday in a bit of a confusing move but new information regarding Matthew Knies' status brings a lot more clarity.
It was announced Monday morning via their official PR account that the Toronto Maple Leafs had recalled Jacob Quillan from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) ahead of their Monday night matchup with the Minnesota Wild.
The move came as a bit of a surprise given that there wasn't too much different on Saturday night, and Quillan was a non-factor obviously, but now we have a lot more context to the situation.
Matthew Knies' lingering injury the cause for Jacob Quillan's promotion
Sportsnet's Luke Fox revealed that Matthew Knies has been dealing with an injury that has been going on for a bit, and his absence at morning skate meant it may have gotten too much for him to handle:
Matthew Knies absent from morning skate. He's been battling something for a while. Needed a maintenance day on the road.
It's been clear that something isn't great right now with Knies and he hasn't been as explosive or dangerous as in games past.
Craig Berube was candid in explaining why Knies needed a break, explaining that this has been going on since before Christmas:
It's obviously bothering him a lot for quite some time, and hasn't gotten really much better, other than when he gets some breaks, Christmas time and stuff. He comes back, it feels better. It's an ongoing issue.
Toronto needs Matthew Knies to get healthy -- and fast
Knies, 23, has 40 points in 45 games (12 goals, 28 assists) while adding 99 hits, 21 blocks, 19 PIM and a minus-five in 19:15 TOI.
But with only one goal over his last nine games and only five points total, the young power forward hasn't bee that driving force Toronto needs, and he's also been wildly passive -- a clear sign something is wrong.
He's known to throw a lot of hits, but only has nine hits in that nine game span. For context, Knies had eight hits in the season opener and was averaging 2.5 hits per game until this injury issue.
It would be best for the team to rest him although they really can't afford to have both Knies and William Nylander out for too long, lest they call behind in a tight Atlantic Division.
While it would be a little disappointing if Knies was unable to suit up against a strong Minnesota Wild team, it's better for the team to let him rest and recover. One game won't make or break them and we've seen them rally when faced with adversity.
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JANVIER 19 | 972 ANSWERS Maple Leafs' latest roster move suddenly makes sense after the Matthew Knies news Do you think Matthew Knies' injury is serious? | ||
| Yes | 487 | 50.1 % |
| No | 485 | 49.9 % |
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