Another Maple Leafs practice, another new player absence.
On Friday, defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson joined a large group of Leafs already taking up space on the sideline.
The news on the veteran wasn’t dire, however. Ekman-Larsson is dealing with an illness and coach Craig Berube indicated the 33-year-old will be in the lineup on Sunday when the Utah Hockey Club makes its only visit of the 2024-25 regular season to Toronto.
Winger Matthew Knies, however, won’t play against Utah. He remains in recovery mode after he was hit in open ice by Zach Whitecloud of the Vegas Golden Knights during the Leafs’ 3-0 win on Wednesday.
There’s no timeline that pinpoints Knies’ return as he copes with an upper-body injury. On Friday afternoon, the Leafs announced he was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 20.
“He’s improving, that’s good news,” Berube said before the announcement. “If he keeps progressing in the right direction, (he will be) a possibility down the road soon.”
Berube didn’t close the door on the idea that centre Max Domi (lower body) would be back to play against Utah, saying he would not rule him out now. The Leafs should have a better idea on Domi’s status following practice on Saturday.
There still was no sign of captain Auston Matthews, who was in Germany this week to consult with a specialist regarding his upper-body injury.
Berube said the lower-body injury that landed centre David Kampf on injured reserve this week wasn’t an issue that just popped up.
“It was lingering a bit, but he played through it, like other guys who have played through things,” Berube said. “Max and Auston, they played through things. But it gets to a point where you have to take time and heal.”
Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin ably stepped in against Vegas, but a player who could stand to benefit with the Knies absence is Nick Robertson. On Friday at practice, Robertson skated on a line with Pontus Holmberg at centre and William Nylander on the right.
Robertson’s goalless streak has stretched to 10 games and he has just one in 17 outings this season.
“Playing fast and keeping it simple, let Willie do his thing and shoot the puck when I get a chance,” Robertson said of possibly skating alongside the gifted Nylander. “I just have to play with my pace to complement them and hopefully I can do that.”
Knies will be missed, even if it’s just for one game. The 22-year-old is third among Leafs with eight goals and has grown into himself in his second full NHL season.
“No question, he plays a major role,” John Tavares said. “The steps he has taken have been phenomenal.
“Hopefully, it’s a quick bounce-back for him. Being around him the past couple days, he has been in good spirits and is pretty positive.”
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