The NHL trade deadline is now way back in the rearview mirror and saw most of the Toronto Maple Leafs' players stayed put, despite rumours of being moved. However, one player was not expected to be moved, unless the deal was too good to pass off. That player, Matthew Knies.
According to an X posting by NHL Trade Alert, NHL insider David Pagnotta revealed what the return for Knies would've been if GM Brad Treliving struck a deal to move the 23-year-old from Arizona.
DFO Rundown (Mar 11): On Toronto, there were talking to teams on Ekman-Larsson. Morgan Reilly’s name popped up.
— NHL Trade Alert (@NHLTradeAlert) March 12, 2026
Pagnotta think if they got “three first round calibre assets, not all first round picks” then he think they would have pulled the trigger on a Matthew Knies trade.… pic.twitter.com/VyotDKYNQf
While "three first round calibre assets, not all first round picks" would have been nice to get, it's certainly hard to part with Knies, even if things are going terribly wrong for the Leafs right now. He has been one of the few silver linings in the Leafs' dark cloud season and continues to show how valuable he can be in the lineup.
With 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) this season, Knies has been playing well overall this season for the Leafs and has the chance to take over the scoring with the big guys in the lineup, as he could really be seen as one of the premier players on the Leafs right now.
Knies has a chance to break his career-high 58-point total during this season, which had been set only last year. While he does have a lot of trade value on this Leafs team, the thought of shipping out a young, promising player like Knies, who still has a decently high ceiling remaining in his development, might be a mistake. While he's of course no Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon, two of the league's best players, Knies could be seen as possibly a potential franchise player for the Leafs.
Should the Leafs really have traded Matthew Knies?
This all depends on where you stand regarding what direction the Leafs should take: If they should build around the youngsters they already have, or completely tear the house down and start new. Despite the possiblity of a juicy return for Knies in a trade, he has been what the Leafs have been searching for a while now. Someone who can pass, score, get in front of the net and in the corners, as well as someone who plays with physicality.
Even though Knies would've drawn in a sweet return at the trade deadline, trading him would not have been the right move. As mentioned before, he's been a bright spot for the team with the way he has played this season.
Knies is still a young guy in NHL terms, but he has a lot of potential left in him. He's been one of the main guys this season and should be kept to further develop and build around the other young players, much as the likes of Easton Cowan, Jacob Quillan and possibly even now, despite being a bit older, Bo Groulx. The Leafs made a good choice to keep Knies right now, but if push really does come to shove, who knows what could happen if the Leafs don't solve any problems.