A report on Friday indicated the Toronto Maple Leafs nearly traded star winger Matthew Knies to the Montreal Canadiens at this year's trade deadline. But while that move would've given Toronto many long-term assets, the right move for the Leafs is to hang onto Knies for the long haul.
Sometimes at the NHL level, the trades you don’t make turn out to be some of the best moves you make – and that looks to be true in the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs and left winger Matthew Knies.
Per a Sportsnet report on Friday, the Maple Leafs nearly traded Knies to the Montreal Canadiens for a package of prospects and draft picks. However, the trade was scuttled because it was filed one minute after the NHL's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline on March 6.
Maple Leafs fans should be thankful former Toronto GM Brad Treliving failed to consummate a Knies trade by the deadline. Because while the haul Montreal would’ve surrendered for Knies would’ve helped Toronto rebuild for a new generation for the team, the Leafs would’ve instantly created a hole for a young, dynamic power forward. That’s who Knies is.
It isn’t as if Knies is late 20s with all sorts of miles on his competitive odometer. Knies is 23 years old. Even if Toronto’s rebuild or retool includes an 18-year-old as the No. 1 pick the Leafs will have this summer, the Leafs can’t give up on players who still have yet to reach their potential and who are relatively close to that 18-year-old first-overall pick. And that’s who Knies is.
Not to mention, Knies wants to be in Toronto, which is pretty important, too.
To be clear – we’re not completely against Toronto trading a young player. Maybe left winger Easton Cowan could be traded to get them defensive help. Maybe there’s someone the team is high on internally that new GM John Chayka includes in a trade to balance the organization.
Sure, at some point, there could be a bid for Knies that’d make it impossible for Chayka to say no to. But it’ll take a lot for Toronto to trade Knies, and Leafs fans should be vocally relieved that this Maple Leafs management team couldn’t file that trade with the Canadiens in time.
In other situations like this one, missing out on a major trade because he wasn't punctual would’ve been a fireable offense for Treliving. And who knows – maybe MLSE CEO Keith Pelley fired Treliving less than a month after the deadline because he saw how this situation unfolded and wasn’t pleased with it.
In any case, Knies gave the Leafs 43 assists and 66 points – both career-highs – in 79 games last year. And in three NHL seasons, Knies has missed only nine regular-season games – a terrific health rate given how physically engaged he is in every outing.
That combination of physicality and finishing skill is in short supply around the league. So if you traded Knies to add a young defenseman, you’d be filling one hole but creating another hole. Thus, it says here it’s better to keep Knies and figure out how to add assets in other ways.
Knies isn’t a perfect player, but former Leafs coach Craig Berube leaned on Knies to play in all situations this past season, and that will help Knies’ game in the long run. So while there’s a price someone could pay for Knies that Toronto couldn’t turn down, it should take a mountain of assets to do so.
Trading Knies before he even gets close to his prime would be absolute madness for the Maple Leafs' front office. Knies has asserted himself as a top-six left winger who gives as good as he gets, and Toronto fans should be enraged if Toronto trades Knies.
Players with Knies’ particular skill set don’t come along often, and he should be considered a core component for this Maple Leafs team for the franchise’s next generation.
Knies has more than lived up to the expectations of someone who was drafted 57th overall in 2021. And although Knies is appealing to many teams, it makes more sense for the Maple Leafs to retain his services. You can see why a team like the Habs would want Knies, but you can also see why the Leafs should keep him.
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