The Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off three deals before the NHL trade deadline last Friday, but after their seventh straight loss on Saturday to Tampa Bay, the focal point of discussion in the aftermath is the trade that did not happen. Just prior to the deadline, Friedman indicated there was some chatter regarding Leafs winger Matthew Knies and the possibility of him being traded, but only if the return was massive for the 23-year-old.
Knies is in the first year of a six-year deal with a cap hit of $7.75 million per season, and in spite of playing through most of the season with a knee injury, he has posted 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 61 games. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos furthered the speculation that the team the Leafs were talking trade with was the archrival Montreal Canadiens.
This would be curious since the Habs are widely known to be looking for a second-line center, and to get Knies, they would likely have to offer a package that the Leafs could not refuse. Montreal obviously would not trade any of their young core group (Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson), so it likely would have to be a package that would include an NHL roster player and one or two prospects.
Currently, the two most glaring needs for the Leafs in advance of the off-season are: a second-line center to play behind Auston Matthews, and a top-pairing defenseman. The Habs struck out at the deadline after being connected to Nazem Kadri for months, and Knies will not help in that pursuit.
Short of dealing prized youngster Ivan Demidov (and that would be a stretch), the only target that would make sense is 19-year-old Oakville native Michael Hage, who had 15 points for Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior and has 45 points in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan. Montreal is not going to give up Hutson or Noah Dobson in a deal, but might move 2023 fifth overall pick David Reinbacher.
The only thing that would make sense in moving Knies is in exchange for a comparably aged offensive center, and teams are not trading 23-year-old centers these days. A swap involving St. Louis center Robert Thomas does not add up either, since he is four years older than the Leafs winger. We shall see if these rumors pop up during the summer, but the hunger for change in Toronto is beginning to border on the irrational.
The Leafs take on the Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, and may have a new face in the lineup. Center Benoit-Olivier Groulx was recalled from the AHL Marlies on Tuesday. Groulx is leading the Marlies with 50 points (27 goals, 23 assists) in 54 games. The 26-year-old played 65 games over three seasons with Anaheim and has five points (1 goal, 4 assists). Joseph Woll is expected to get the start for Toronto.
