It's no secret that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies has been one of the most talked about trade pieces of the 2026 NHL offseason. New GM John Chayka has proven thus far that he's not one to shy away from making a big move, and with the news coming out that Knies was a minute away from being dealt at the Trade Deadline, the young star's name has been a major topic of discussion for the Leafs offseason.
Given the returns that the likes of Brady Tkachuk and Bowen Byram were able to fetch for their respective teams, it's extremely intriguing to look at what the Leafs could potentially receive as a package for Knies.
However, trading their 23-year-old winger who's only going to get better, and on a long-term contract at a reasonable AAV is not a good idea, and here's why.
Trading Knies creates more problems than it solves
As mentioned before, John Chayka has had no problem pulling the trigger on a big trade in his short tenure with Toronto. Moving Knies could be another move made by Chayka, similar to the Woll trade, where he gave up a beloved member of the roster for a much needed puck-moving d-man in Emil Andrae.
Knies could fetch the Leafs another elite defenseman to pair with Darren Raddysh, a middle-six center, or a boatload of picks and prospects. All areas where the Leafs could use the extra help.
But just because we can trade Knies, it doesn't mean we should, and we're better off keeping him around until we really need to move on from him.
This current Leafs team is in no place to rebuild given their lack of first-round picks over the next two years, and the Darren Raddysh move proves they're all-in on contending. So why would trading Knies be a good idea, especially if Gavin McKenna and/or Easton Cowan aren't ready for full-time roles in the top-6?
Not only would that leave a big hole in the top of the Leafs forward group, but Knies still has 5 years left on his contract, meaning he'll be in his prime for the entirety of the Leafs cup window, assuming we go all-in before Auston Matthews becomes a UFA in 2028.
When the Leafs inevitably need to enter a rebuild, why not wait to trade Knies then? He'll be much closer to being a UFA and will still be in his prime, and the salary cap will be much higher.
We don't need to move Knies now whatsoever, and unless a team offers up one of the best return packages the NHL has ever seen, he should be a Leaf until we are no longer contenders.
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