Details On The Overdue Trade Deadline Deal Are Released

Elliotte Friedman then reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the reason the deal didn’t go through was that it got into the queue at 3:01 pm ET. While Friedman believes that the Habs would like to revisit the deal, he thinks with new management in Toronto it is very unlikely to happen.

Another bombshell about the deal that was released on Friday morning was that, according to media member Jonah Sigel, Habs GM Kent Hughes was very angry at Leafs GM at the time Brad Treliving about the trade going into the queue at 3:01 pm ET. Hughes allegedly said to Treliving that if he isn’t fired in the off-season, then he better honour this deal. Unfortunately, he was let go, and so it will be harder for the trade to go through.

Now that the Leafs are under a new management group, there is a high possibility that this trade won’t even be entertained by the team anymore. Although, now that the details have been reported, it could make players involved feel awkward staying with their current teams, especially Knies, who would have been shipped over to arguably the Leafs’ biggest rivals. Therefore, at the very least the Habs and Leafs should consider circling back on that with Zharovsky being the main piece going back the other way since it’s out there.

I personally believe that when a trade falls through and the names are revealed, those guys named need to end up getting dealt in the end to avoid any awkwardness. At the same time, a new management group could remove any tension between the Leafs and Knies, so we will see if they even want to go forth with a trade.

If anything, the Habs could trade Zharovsky in another deal to go get that elusive 2nd line centre that they are looking to get this summer. However, based on the fact that the Canadiens would have traded him in a package for a young winger, it seems like they have a lot of faith that Hage can be their 2nd line centre of the future. With that being said, don’t be surprised if the Habs do end up with Knies or another young winger instead of a centre as long as Hage is still in the organization.

Based on what we have been hearing for the last while, the Habs want to keep both Hage and Reinbacher, as they believe those players to be big parts of the future. It will remain to be seen if these two end up being as big a part of the organization as the management is hoping for; unless it’s for a star player around their age, the Habs will likely hang on to those two players.

As for the final piece that wasn’t revealed in the said trade for Knies, RG Media’s Marco D’Amico believes the other top prospect could be one of two defensemen in Bryce Pickford or Adam Engstrom. These two don’t have the upside that Hage or Reinbacher have, but at the same time, they both have a good chance to be regular NHLers one day.

Hearing that the trade for Knies came in a minute after the deadline definitely hurts, as someone like him would be the perfect fit next to Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield or could also have been a good linemate for Ivan Demidov. Knies finished with a very solid 23 goals and 66 points in 79 games as one of the few Leafs players who had a solid season. At age 23, he will only get better, and with that being said, he was worth the package Zharovsky, Engstrom/Pickford, and two late-1st rounders that the Canadiens offered, especially since there is no guarantee any of these players come close to what Knies can bring.

Do you hope that the Canadiens try to circle back to this potential trade, or do you think they should look elsewhere?