Matthew Knies Faces Severe Punishment from the NHL Following Vicious Elbow

Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Detroit Red Wings in a preseason game that saw Anthony Stolarz face 41 shots on goal.

The final score was 2-1, and it was clear that the Maple Leafs were not playing their best defensive hockey. Perhaps you can attribute this to the preseason, although there is no denying that fans are somewhat concerned.

Regardless, Matthew Knies had an assist in the game as he helped Auston Matthews get his second goal of the preseason.

Presumably, that will be Matthews' last preseason game, even with the Leafs taking on the Red Wings on Saturday. Matthews made it clear he is only playing two games, which means he has fulfilled his quota.

As for Matthew Knies, the forward could be in some trouble with the NHL's front office, as he delivered a pretty vicious elbow on Simon Edvinsson.

Below, you can see that Knies clipped Edvinsson in the head, which is a huge no-no in hockey these days. In fact, the forward could end up with a fine or a one-game suspension.

Knies bulked up this season with the goal of becoming a much more effective power forward. However, that does not mean running guys in the head.

Hopefully, the forward can learn this lesson going forward and focus on putting pucks in the net and getting the puck out of his own zone.

As for the Maple Leafs, they will begin their regular season on October 8th against the Montreal Canadiens.

Soon, we will officially know the team's day one roster, and that is going to come with a whole lot of fanfare.