Matthew Knies was injured in Game 2 against Florida when Sam Bennett decided to slam him into the glass and then down to the ice with authority. Knies diagnosis was a concussion and he was ruled out for Games 3 and 4 pretty much immediately. At the time, Sheldon Keefe said that it was unlikely Knies would even return this series.
Well, as it turns out, it would appear that Knies has turned a corner in his recovery. TSN's Darren Dreger reported this morning that Knies has been feeling better over the past couple of days. For him to return, though, he would have to be cleared from concussion protocol. Dreger also revealed that even if Knies is cleared to return, there's no guarantee that Keefe would re-insert him into the lineup after last night's full 60-minute two-way clinic.
Knies has lived up to every bit of the hype since he joined the Leafs with a couple of games left in the regular season and adds an element that the Leafs have lacked for years - a power forward who plays well in tight spaces and has a nose for the net. While Keefe may not want to change his lineup on Friday, there's no doubt that Knies would be a huge boost to the Leafs' top-six. The Leafs are 4-2 with Knies in the lineup and 1-3 without him, stemming back to the regular season.
