NEW YORK — Although the Toronto Maple Leafs have had their fair share of injuries on defense and in goal, the same has not been the case for their forward group.
So when Matthew Knies wasn't available to play in Tuesday's 7-3 victory against the New York Rangers due to an illness, head coach Sheldon Keefe elected to slot Noah Gregor onto the top line with Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
"I just think Gregor's played really well," Keefe explained. "We knew Knies wasn't going to be available, it took me three seconds to say that this was going to be Gregor's opportunity to play more and play with those guys because he's really earned it.
Gregor logged a season-high 17:40 as a result of the promotion. He recorded one assist without any preparation to skate alongside two of Toronto's top offensive weapons.
"I thought that complimented us really well and I thought that was evident the way he forechecks, the way he makes plays in his own zone as well to break the pucks out," Matthews said of Gregor. "I thought it was a pretty seamless transition for him and that's always nice to see."
The Maple Leafs struggled early on in the regular season to find a consistent left-winger for Matthews. Although they started the season with Tyler Bertuzzi in that spot, the experiment didn't work and the gritty forward has since fit in better on the second line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. Calle Jarnkrok has had some good looks with Matthews, but that would come at the cost of breaking up a third line with Max Domi and Nick Robertson that has played together consistently since Nov. 5.
Gregor is no stranger to playing up and down the lineup. He moved all over the lineup with the San Jose Sharks last season.
The 25-year-old was an unrestricted free agent this summer after the Sharks declined to tender the forward a qualifying offer. The Beaumont, Alberta native was Toronto's only player to join training camp on a professional tryout and won a spot on the main roster, signing a one-year, $775,000 contract on Oct. 10.
Gregor has four goals and two assists in 26 games this season. It's not expected that Knies will be out for very long, but the Leafs know they have a versatile substitute they can dress in place of the rookie while not having to shake up the lineup.
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