After depleted Leafs lose Matthew Knies, they’ll need their rookie forwards more than ever

It happened so quickly, the number streaking to the Vegas Golden Knights’ net was merely a blur. Once the red light went on and the puck was buried behind goaltender Adin Hill, the digits came into focus: Fraser Minten’s No. 39. Receiving a perfectly placed feed from William Nylander, Minten made sure the puck was gone the second it touched his stick, and voila, a particularly pretty and memorable first NHL goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie.

“Got a line change there and sometimes when you’re coming off the bench on the rush, they don’t really pick you up,” Minten said. “So I just tried to stay in the quiet ice. I know Willy sees everything, so I was just waiting for something and he made a great pass.”

Later in the first period of Toronto’s 3-0 win, another Leafs freshman made his mark – perhaps a little too enthusiastically. Nikita Grebenkin, eagerly participating in his first NHL game, caught Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore with a hit that left him bloodied. Early in the second period, there was Grebenkin again, this time doggedly backchecking to thwart a developing 2-on 1 and catching defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.

Both Leaf forwards were in Toronto’s lineup earlier than they or the team imagined they’d be this season. That’s what happens when your forward group is utterly ravaged by injuries. Superstar Auston Matthews was receiving treatment in Germany this week for an undisclosed upper-body injury. Fellow centers Max Domi (lower-body) and David Kampf (lower-body) landed on injured reserve this week. Wingers Calle Jarnkrok (groin) and Max Pacioretty (lower-body) now reside on long-term injured reserve. The Leafs were down to a borderline skeleton crew Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena, with checker Pontus Holmberg taking the opening faceoff as a scoring-line center between Matthew Knies and William Nylander.

So not only were the likes of Minten and Grebenkin thrust into action unexpectedly early – the Leafs genuinely needed them. And they answered the bell. More so than the goal, it was the defensive play and reliability and physicality in tight spots, particularly Minten’s, that stood out according to coach Craig Berube.

Perhaps Grebenkin, in his rudimentary english, best summarized his assignment.

“Forecheck, backheck, paycheck,” Grebenkin said with a jovial laugh.

Only one Leaf forward had a higher 5-on-5 expected goal share than Grebenkin’s 78.15 percent on Wednesday. The shot attempts were 13-7 Toronto with him on the ice. He followed through on the unbridled enthusiasm he showed that morning when, according to goaltender Joseph Woll, Grebenkin was the first player at the rink for the skate.

“I wish I knew more what he was saying because he’s so positive and so happy all the time,” said Woll, fresh off a 31-save shutout.

The kids gave a decimated lineup a lift but, little did the Leafs know, their situation would become all the more desperate before Wednesday’s game was up. Midway through the second period, Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud walloped Knies, who had his head down, with a devastating open-ice hit. The fans in attendance were incensed by what they believed was a hit to the head. But a major penalty was rescinded and reduced to a minor for roughing after a review, and Knies’ chest was the principal point of contact on the blow. Whitecloud’s feet also didn’t leave the ice until after, and as a result of, the impact. Daily Faceoff does not anticipate supplemental discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety for the hit. The Leafs were none too happy about it in the moment but resisted the temptation to express displeasure post-game.

“My view of the hit, I mean, it’s a tough call,” Berube said. “I’m not going to sit here and comment on the hit. [The league] thought it was a clean hit, so it’s a clean hit.”

Regardless of how anyone feels about the hit – there was no debating the result. Knies left the game with an upper-body injury and did not return for the third period. Berube had no additional information on Knies’ condition after the game. Most alarming is that Knies already has a concussion on his record as an NHLer, sustained on a hit from the Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett in Round 2 of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Knies is in the midst of a breakout season, excelling as a first-line left winger and net-front presence on the power play, pacing for a career-best 35 goals and sitting in the 85th percentile among NHL forwards in 5-on-5 expected goals per 60 entering Wednesday’s action. The Leafs were already badly undermanned without him, and now they’re almost unfathomably so, dipping deep into their farm club.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Leafs are forced to see what they have at the NHL level with various members of the Marlies, Alex Steeves also among that group. It’s not the worst outcome considering they haven’t gotten much help from the bottom half of their forward group this season. Put it this way: when Minten scored Wednesday, he equalled Nick Robertson’s season goal total (1) and jumped one goal ahead of Holmberg (0), Ryan Reaves (0) and Connor Dewar (0) – not to mention Kampf (0) and Domi (0).

When the Leafs are at full strength, the potency of their lineup in the top half is undeniable, but if they want to make a deep playoff run, they need a lot more from their role players. It’s not inconceivable that the likes of Minten and Grebenkin – who were noticeable wire to wire on Wednesday – could become part of the long-term solution.

“Yeah, they were buzzing today,” Nylander said. “They were all playing a great game and it was nice to see Fraser get his first. It’s a big accomplishment.”

Now, we wait. If Knies misses significant time, the Leafs will have no choice but to rely on their greenest forwards more than ever.

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