Injury-ravaged Maple Leafs place Knies on IR, sign Alex Nylander
Posted November 22, 2024 12:53 pm.
Last Updated November 22, 2024 5:19 pm.
The injury-depleted Toronto Maple Leafs were dealt another blow as winger Matthew Knies was placed on injured reserve and won’t play on Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club.
Head coach Craig Berube told reporters that Knies, forced to leave Wednesday’s game against Vegas after being on the wrong end of a hit, will miss his first game of the season. The 22-year-old was placed on IR hours later.
The play in question happened with 12:01 remaining in the second period, as Knies skated through the neutral zone with the puck when Zach Whitecloud seemed to leave his feet, appearing to make contact with the 22-year-old’s chin.
Knies immediately skated to Toronto’s bench as his teammates came to his defence, including blue-liner Simon Benoit, who took Whitecloud down to the ice.
Whitecloud was not penalized for the hit. Knies has been one of Toronto’s best players early on this season, with eight goals and 12 points in 20 games. He’s averaged a career-high 17 minutes of ice time under Berube this year.
It’s unclear when Knies will be ready to return. His next chance is against Florida on Nov. 27.
Maple Leafs sign Alex Nylander, William’s brother
In a corresponding move, the Leafs announced that winger Alex Nylander was signed to a one-year deal worth $775,000. The younger Nylander had been playing with the Toronto Marlies after joining the team on an AHL contract in the offseason.
Alex Nylander, drafted eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2016, had eight goals and 12 points across 14 games with the Marlies this year. In 121 NHL games split between the Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets, the 26-year-old has 25 goals and 49 points. He scored 11 goals in 23 games with Columbus last season.
Alex could join his brother, William, and make his Leafs debut as early as Sunday.
Knies, meanwhile, joins a long list of injured Maple Leafs, including Auston Matthews, Max Pacioretty, Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf and Max Domi. Berube said defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson didn’t practice on Friday due to an illness, and the team announced defenceman Philippe Myers was recalled from the AHL.
Berube said Domi, who was placed on injured reserve ahead of Wednesday’s game, has a chance to play on Sunday. Toronto will also be without Ryan Reaves, currently serving a five-game suspension.
The depleted Maple Leafs have been forced to rely on a pair of youngsters, notably Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin, who both debuted on Wednesday. Minten scored his first NHL goal in a 3-0 win against Vegas.
Matthews, who recently travelled to Germany for a second opinion on an injury that has kept him out of action since Nov. 3, could return to the Maple Leafs on Nov. 27 against the Panthers.
Toronto enters Sunday’s game with a 12-6-2 record and is currently first in the Atlantic Division with 26 points.
