The talk of the Toronto Maple Leafs trading Matthew Knies once seemed preposterous. Then, news started trickling out that teams were calling about his availability.
Instead of getting the door slammed in their faces, the Maple Leafs entertained inquiries. While it doesn’t seem like a deal ever got very far down the field, there were at least various clubs doing their homework.
Now, insider Elliotte Friedman has revealed the clubs that actually made a seemingly concerted effort to land the 23-year-old.
“Teams that showed serious interest in Matthew Knies included Anaheim, Chicago, Montreal, New Jersey, and Utah.”
It’s worth pointing out that the hot rumor was that the Canadiens were willing to make a major splash for Knies. But that doesn’t seem to be quite the case. Friedman downplayed the possibility of the Habs making a serious push.
Still, it’s interesting to see the teams looking to land Knies. Anaheim would have been an interesting trade partner. They have prospects and picks to deal. Similarly, Chicago is overflowing with prospects, particularly on the blue line.
While New Jersey would have been a tantalizing situation, the most intriguing has to be Utah. The Mammoth paid a handsome price for MacKenzie Weegar. Would they have been willing to do the same for Knies?
Who knows if that would have been the case?
Teams could circle back in the offseason
The possibility of the Maple Leafs dealing Knies at this point is still very much up in the air. It wouldn’t even be a 50/50 chance. Most likely, the chances of trading Knies are in the single digits.
Then again, it wouldn’t be out of the question for interested teams to circle back in the offseason. In particular, Anaheim and Utah seem like plausible targets. Depending on how things go for them in the playoffs this season, they may feel compelled to go out there and make an offseason splash.
Again, the likelihood of the Maple Leafs dealing Knies is low. But I could definitely be wrong, even more so if there’s a new GM after the season. The thing about a new GM is that he might feel that he doesn’t have any allegiances with any player. As such, trading someone like Knies wouldn’t be nearly as difficult.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to see what possibilities emerge once the season officially ends for the Maple Leafs and the rigors of retooling the roster begin this summer.