Gavin McKenna’s arrival in Toronto is set to shake up the Maple Leafs’ forward picture, and it may do more than just add another name to the lineup. If he clicks quickly with Auston Matthews, the ripple effect could be enough to shove an established veteran down the depth chart before opening night.
That kind of move would not be shocking in a top six already built around Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares, since those three are unlikely to move. But there is a real opening for McKenna to alter the mix, and one possible consequence is Matthew Knies sliding into a different role.
Knies is coming off a career year with 66 points in 79 games, but the fit becomes more complicated once the lineup is reworked. The source material points out that his underlying numbers in the top six are strongest when he is with Matthews, and outside of that, the production has not been as eye-catching. If he were shifted to the third line, he could form a hard-to-handle checking unit alongside Nick Paul without giving up much offense.
That would give Toronto a dangerous depth look, but it also creates a bigger question around Knies’ contract. He is being paid $7.75M, and that kind of number comes with expectations that go beyond third-line duty. If he is not getting the kind of top-end role that matches the salary, the fit between player and team starts to look awkward.
There is also the practical problem Toronto cannot ignore: the club is sitting at 50 of 50 contracts. That means any new addition has to come with a corresponding move, whether through a trade or some other way of clearing space.
If the Leafs tried to keep Knies in the mix with McKenna, Matthews, Tavares, Nylander and Easton Cowan, the squeeze would hit the bottom six. The issue there is that the roster is already crowded with veterans, and there is not an easy place to send them. Players such as Dakota Joshua or Teddy Blueger cannot just be moved to the Marlies without going through waivers, and that opens the door for another team to claim them for nothing.
Steven Lorentz is another possible casualty, though the same problem applies. Moving him out would risk losing him for nothing, and the source notes he is a small reason why Sergei Bobrovsky decided to come to Toronto.
So while McKenna’s arrival gives the Leafs another high-end option, it also makes their forward group harder to sort out. Toronto is already jammed up the middle, and the new piece only makes the puzzle tighter.
In Other News...
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Still, Marner left room for a familiar Toronto connection when he spoke about Darren Raddysh, the Toronto-born defenseman the Leafs added in a sign-and-trade. It was a small but notable nod from a player whose departure remains one of the franchises defining storylines, and it only adds another layer to a summer that already has Maple Leafs fans watching every move closely. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Suddenly Have An Early Max Domi Problem
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Toronto may have a cap-related workaround if it decides to place Domi on Long-Term Injured Reserve, a move that would bring some immediate salary relief. Even so, the Leafs are still facing the kind of early-season uncertainty that can ripple through lineup planning, roster decisions and how they manage the first few weeks without him. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Hughes Just Reopened An Ugly Maple Leafs Debate
Jack Hughes added an awkward little footnote to Torontos summer at NHL Media Day, and it landed on a topic the Maple Leafs would probably prefer to leave buried. His comment about the Leafs and the draft reopened a long-running argument around a season that went sideways, one in which Toronto missed the playoffs and finished last in its division, yet still sat in a draft position that reflected how rough the overall picture had become.
The uncomfortable part for the Leafs is that the debate is not as simple as record versus reward. Toronto did not finish near the very bottom of the league, but it was still among the 11 worst teams and carried the fifth-best lottery odds, which made a high pick a reasonable outcome even without a nightmare standings finish. Hughes did not settle the argument so much as remind everyone how messy it got, and why the Leafs are still the kind of team that can spark a fight over whether they were too good to be there or not good enough to avoid it. [Read more 🡒]