Auston Matthews caused the Leafs to consider trading away Matthew Knies at the deadline
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Sam Walker
Mar 8, 2026 (12:08)
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Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Auston Matthews' long-term window squeezed the Toronto Maple Leafs into floating Matthew Knies in trade talks, and fans felt the panic.
Elliotte Friedman lit the fuse on Saturday, saying Toronto needs real assets to sell a vision to Matthews for years to come.
In that framing, Knies is the cleanest chip they have, the one rival GMs actually want.
That is the scary part, because it is not about liking Knies, it is about leverage.
Friedman's point was blunt: if you are keeping Matthews, you still have to feed the roster around him, and that's why Knies was dangled on the trade market.
Elliotte Friedman: When it comes to presenting what this thing is gonna look like to Auston Matthews for years to come, [Toronto] need assets; no player on their roster who can bring them more...than Matthew Knies; that's why I think his name was out there - 32 Thoughts (3/7)
Knies is 23, a 2021 second-round pick, 57th overall, drafted by Toronto, and he already plays like a playoff winger.
This season he sits at 16-35-51, the kind of line that screams «top-six» even when the team is wobbling.
Toronto is 27-26-11, and that record makes every decision feel like a referendum.
The deadline always exposes what a front office values, and this one screamed «timeline.»
Matthew Knies forces the Toronto Maple Leafs to pick
Leafs fans are exhausted, because every spring feels like the same bet with a different receipt.
If you trade Knies, you better be getting a difference-maker who changes your man advantage and your five-on-five texture.
If you keep him, you are basically admitting the help has to come from elsewhere, fast.
The cap math matters too, since Knies carries a hefty cap hit now and is signed through 2030-31 as a UFA.
That contract can be comfort, or it can be bait, depending on how hard Toronto wants to «win now.»
Matthews does not need a presentation, he needs a blue line that exits clean and a lineup that holds leads.
Knies helps with that, because he wins pucks, goes to the net, and makes space for skill.
Toronto did not move him, but the fact his name floated tells you how tight the room feels.
Tuesday in Montreal is the next gut-check, and every Knies shift will get judged like a trade call.
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