Berube: Knies 'feeling OK' after 'clean hit' by Whitecloud

Matthew Knies is still being evaluated after being injured by a high hit during Wednesday's contest, but Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said the winger is doing better.

"Not bad," he said Thursday when asked about Knies' condition, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Berube added, "(He's) actually feeling OK today, which is good news."

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud trucked the Leafs winger with a big hit in the second period of Toronto's 3-0 win. The rearguard was initially handed a five-minute major before having it rescinded after a review.

Knies exited the contest and was later ruled out with an upper-body injury.

Berube chose his words carefully when asked about the hit immediately after the game but elaborated more Thursday.

"It’s a hockey hit," he said. "It's been around forever … It's a clean hit. It's a tough play. He's in a vulnerable position a little bit. The guy was on him from behind and it's a tough play. It is, but it's hockey. That's part of the game."

Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit, who mixed it up with Whitecloud in retaliation for the hit, didn't seem to agree with Berube's assessment.

"I think his feet were off the ice when he hit Kniesy right to the head, so I had to go in there and just protect my teammate," he said. "It was just not a good hit ... I don't think it's a good call."

Knies suffered a concussion during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and missed the last three games of the Maple Leafs' second-round series against the Florida Panthers.

Toronto was already without forwards Auston Matthews, Max Domi, Calle Jarnkrok, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf, and Ryan Reaves versus Vegas.

Berube said Matthews' recent trip to Germany to address his upper-body injury was a success.

“Everything went well," he said, per NHL.com's Dave McCarthy. "He's actually improving and in a really good spot right now going forward, so we are very happy with that."

Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving told reporters Tuesday that Matthews might return Sunday against Utah but added that next week's Florida trip was more likely.