A Matthew Knies trade with the Blackhawks that could stun the hockey world

With the Toronto Maple Leafs believed to be shaking things up this summer, no one is safe. Craig Berube’s dismissal is certainly a sign of that.

However, moving on from Berube was just an intermediate step. There’s also the matter of shaking up the roster. That hasn’t happened… yet. There’s no reason to think that won’t happen.

Enter a massive trade idea: Matthew Knies to the Chicago Blackhawks. The consensus around the league is that the Blackhawks are looking for an ideal linemate to play with Connor Bedard. Finding that partner for the Blackhawks’ franchise player has steered chatter towards the Maple Leafs and Knies.

That said, this rumor has some legs to it. Insider David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period made an appearance on Daily Faceoff on May 8. During that appearance, he talked about how the Blackhawks would be willing to move their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft if they were unable to land the first overall selection.

Of course, it’s evident that Chicago would have kept the top selection. But anything beyond Gavin McKenna, who would have been an ideal running mate for Bedard, really doesn’t interest the Blackhawks.

That’s why the club would explore trading its pick if there was a good offer out there.

So, would it make sense for the Maple Leafs to send Knies to the Windy City in exchange for the fourth-overall pick plus more?

That’s what Pagnotta suggested in a separate appearance on Leafs Morning Take.

There are two answers to that question. The easy one is yes. The Leafs could walk away with the biggest prize of all, Gavin McKenna. Then, they could add a high-end defenseman like Keaton Verhoeff or Chase Reid. The Leafs really can’t go wrong with either blueliner.

Right there, the Leafs could reshape their core. Two high-end prospects like Reid/Verhoeff and McKenna could turn Toronto into a contender for years to come.

As for Knies, losing his size and speed would suck. And that brings us to the tough answer.

Trading Knies would signal Maple Leafs going through quasi-rebuild

The tough answer lies in the Maple Leafs going through a quasi-rebuild. Rebuilds, by definition, entail trading just about anyone of value on the team in exchange for picks and prospects. Trading Knies would qualify as much.

Jettisoning Knies could essentially subtract 30 goals from the Leafs’ output next. While you could argue that McKenna could replace Knies’ production, Toronto might not get close to a playoff spot next season.

At best, the Leafs would end up like the St. Louis Blues or New York Islanders, close to the playoffs, but not quite good enough to make it over the hump.

But the eventual payoff could be too much to resist. Having a future number-one forward and number-one defenseman in the same draft is not something that comes along every once in a while.

Plus, if the Leafs can extract another prospect from Chicago, say, someone like Oliver Moore on Ryan Greene, Toronto may be able to offset the loss of Knies.

Trading Knies would signal the Maple Leafs are not necessarily looking to contend next season. But this move could be the sort of trade that could set up the Maple Leafs for years to come.

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