Reports around the Toronto Maple Leafs and Matthew Knies have already pushed the conversation into a familiar place: what would it actually take to pry him loose?
Toronto has apparently checked the market and heard out offers for the 23-year-old winger, and at least a couple of those proposals were big enough to get attention - including a rumored package built around a top-10 pick. Even so, the Leafs have reasons to be patient. Knies comes with a cost-effective contract, no trade protection and term, which gives Toronto plenty of leverage while it waits for the right offer.
That leverage exists for a reason. Knies is a 6-foot-3 power forward who can score, finish checks and fit just about anywhere in a lineup.
He’s already shown he can produce consistently and hold his own alongside elite talent, and he looks tailor-made for playoff hockey. He may never become a 40-goal scorer, but the package he brings goes well beyond the goals he doesn’t score.
The question, then, is whether there’s a deal out there that Toronto shouldn’t refuse.
For now, the answer is still hypothetical. There’s no indication from a reputable insider that a Knies trade is close, and nothing suggesting a move is imminent. But his name keeps surfacing in the rumor mill, and a few possibilities have at least been discussed.
One of them is Dylan Larkin. The Detroit center formally requested a trade, and while most of the chatter has pointed toward Florida or Minnesota, Toronto could theoretically jump in.
Larkin doesn’t appear to have the Leafs on his short list, but if Toronto could get involved, he’d give them a true No. 1 center. From Detroit’s side, Knies would be the kind of young, cost-controlled winger with term that could make a return package look strong.
Zach Werenski is another name that has come up. Insiders have floated the idea of Toronto using Knies in a package for the Columbus defenseman, though Werenski has since said he wants to stay put, at least for now.
If that changes, he would instantly change Toronto’s blue line. He also has a no-movement clause, and Toronto would need more than Knies to get it done.
The Leafs would also have to know Werenski would be willing to sign an extension, and that’s where the price gets steep. His next deal would cost far more than Knies does now.
Then there’s Connor Hellebuyck, a different kind of swing altogether. The Maple Leafs just signed Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year deal in free agency, so the idea of chasing another starting goalie feels like a long shot.
Bobrovsky’s deal includes a full no-move, and Toronto would be tying up $15.5 million in goaltending if it could also move Anthony Stolarz. Still, if Hellebuyck were willing to come to Toronto and Winnipeg were ready to deal him, it would be the kind of move Chayka should at least weigh.
Some around the league believe Hellebuyck will be traded eventually, and how Bobrovsky starts the season could shape whether Toronto even starts having those conversations as the year goes on.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Finally Have The Piece For A Real Top Six Trade
The Maple Leafs are still shopping for a top-six forward, and the search has only gotten trickier after they moved most of the pieces that would normally bring back real value. One asset they do have is a 2027 first-round pick acquired in the Nic Roy deal, and that kind of draft capital is the sort of thing that can at least get a serious conversation started if Toronto decides to push for help up front.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is in a position where it may have to weigh what its future roster looks like against the value of keeping veterans in place. Bryan Rust has come up as a name worth watching in that discussion, especially with his contract running through 2028 and no trade protection attached, but the cost to pry him loose would not be small. If the Leafs are going to make a real swing, they may need to decide whether to part with more than just a pick to get the kind of forward they have been missing. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Finally Have A Shot At The Blue Line Fix
Alexander Nikishins situation in Carolina has quickly become one to watch for teams looking to reshape their blue line, and Toronto has naturally surfaced as a club with the kind of need that makes sense in that conversation. The young defenseman and Stanley Cup winner is reportedly seeking a significant contract extension, which has the Hurricanes at least considering trade calls, and that alone is enough to put the Maple Leafs on the radar as a possible partner.
For Toronto, the appeal is obvious: a chance to add a young, high-end defenseman without waiting for the market to dry up elsewhere. Nothing is official, and the talks remain firmly in the realm of possibility, but the fit is the kind that tends to linger around this time of year, especially for a team still searching for a cleaner answer on the back end. [Read more 🡒]