The Rangers took a run at Matthew Knies this offseason, but the price tag apparently shut the door before anything got serious.
That’s the read from Vincent Mercogliano in The Athletic, who reported that New York had Toronto’s young forward on its radar, only to back off because the deal would have cost more than the Rangers could manage. As Mercogliano put it, “[The Rangers]...had Toronto’s Matthew Knies on its radar earlier this offseason, but that would require a price tag Drury almost surely couldn’t afford. League chatter seems to have quieted on that front," Mercogliano wrote.
Knies, 23, was a major piece of the Maple Leafs’ offense last season. The Arizona native put up 66 points, scoring 23 goals and adding 43 assists in 79 regular-season games. Toronto still came up short, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The trade talk around Knies was loud enough that it eventually reached Maple Leafs GM John Chayka, who addressed the speculation in early July during a Zoom call with reporters. His answer didn’t exactly feed the fire.
“The idea that we’re going to improve the roster by moving a top young player … anything’s possible, I guess it’s not probable... No doubt, I think (the speculation) makes for good writing and good interest for people, but as we think about our team, and how we improve, that’s a tough bar to hurdle... As general manager, we’re going to evaluate everything, but that’s the job."
Darren Dregger had previously suggested that several NHL executives believed Knies could be moved, and he said there wouldn’t be anything definitive coming from the Maple Leafs while Chayka continued doing his due diligence.
For now, though, nothing has come together. Knies remains in Toronto, and the chatter around him has cooled.
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