The Montreal Canadiens were reportedly working on a significant trade before last Friday's deadline, and a report out of Toronto claimed their target was Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On Monday, we noted that Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes told reporters he'd been working on what could've been a significant trade before the deadline.
The deal didn't materialize, but Hughes hinted that his club might revisit those negotiations this summer.
Speculation abounded over which players Hughes had in his sights, with most observers settling on St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas.
However, on Monday, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos said the club the Canadiens had spoken with was their longtime rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. He didn't know which Leaf Hughes was interested in, but believed it was Matthew Knies. Kypreos also claimed several teams were interested in the 23-year-old power forward.
That was enough to get fans buzzing in both hockey-mad cities.
Knies surfaced in the rumor mill before the trade deadline. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman speculated the Maple Leafs may have floated the left winger's name in the trade market to gauge his value.
For his part, Knies was surprised that his name appeared in trade rumors, but he wasn't overly concerned.
"I didn't really look into it too much," Knies said. "I feel like, with this market, everyone's kind of a target."
If the Maple Leafs are gauging Knies' trade value, he would definitely draw plenty of attention in the off-season trade market.
Sportsnet's Luke Fox pointed out that the big winger lacks no-trade protection in his six-year contract. Despite playing with an injury this season, he's on pace to break last season's career high of 58 points. His size, style of play and affordable contract make him an enticing trade target.
Fox noted that outside of Auston Matthews and William Nylander, Knies would fetch the best return for Toronto. Kypreos believes the Canadiens have the depth in promising young players to help the retooling Maple Leafs now and in the long term.
From the Canadiens' standpoint, Knies would be a solid fit within their young core. He's the right age, carries a reasonable long-term contract and possesses a good mix of size and skill. He could slot in at right wing alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on their first line, or skate at left wing alongside youngsters Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen.
It remains to be seen if Knies stays with the Maple Leafs or ends up in Montreal or elsewhere. When the deadline passed, Friedman mused about whether Knies could be dangled to the New Jersey Devils for a package that would include young defenseman Simon Nemec. Perhaps they were among those teams that Kypreos alluded to.
Since the trade market is closed until the off-season, Knies' future will likely be a hot topic in the rumor mill for the next several months.
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