The Toronto Maple Leafs took a big swing acquiring Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Matthew Knies in a package deal. Here is how Knies handled the trade news from GM John Chayka.
The Toronto Maple Leafs parted ways with Matthew Knies in a package deal to acquire Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.
Leading up to this deal, Knies has been at the forefront of NHL trade rumors for a long part of the off-season, and while that appeared to die down as pre-season kicked off, the deal was still ultimately made.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Tuesday morning that some members of the Maple Leafs believed that Knies was annoyed by all of the speculation.
At GM John Chayka's media availability the morning of the Maple Leafs' season and home opener against the Montreal Canadiens, he revealed how Knies took the news.
"Yeah, look, I apologized to him for the noise over the last several months," Chayka said. "I don't think it was necessarily fair to him. This was the only thing we seriously considered as a management group. These things happen. He understands. It's nothing that he's a professional athlete, and he's a smart kid. But he took the news well. It's a good young team he's going to. I think it's a good fit for him. I think he'll do well."
Once the trade was made official, Columbus GM Don Waddell called Knies and asked him if he was surprised to be moved.
"Not entirely," Knies told Waddell over the phone. "I feel like it's kind of been hanging over my head for a little bit here. But I guess one day before opening day, I was pretty shocked."
In the end, Chayka understood that he needed to give up quality in order to receive it, and that's exactly what happened here.
"My job is to always make the team as best as possible and not just collect talent, but put together a team that fits and works," he said. "And, you know, you believe there is some chemistry amongst the players. And so, you know, we just felt like it was the right move at this time."
Knies, drafted by Toronto with the 57th overall pick in 2021, played parts of four seasons with the Maple Leafs. In total, he featured in 267 regular-season and playoff games, recording 75 goals and 174 points.
Last season was a career high for the 23-year-old in terms of points. He notched 23 goals and 66 points, and scored a personal best of 29 goals in the prior season.
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