Should the Leafs trade Matthew Knies?

As we approach Friday’s 2026 NHL Entry Draft and Free Agency on July 1st, trades have been coming in fast and furious as teams look to add draft capital, acquire players, or clear cap space. Most of the deals we’ve seen so far have made enough sense, even if we can quibble with the value propositions of some.

One persisting trade rumor that seems puzzling, however, is the Toronto Maple Leafs potentially moving winger Matthew Knies. The Leafs have made it clear they intend to compete for the playoffs again next season, and a young, ascending power forward like Knies seems like the type of player Toronto would want to keep for the present and future. Still, the whispers around Knies have not died down.

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton were joined by Matt Larkin to discuss the current situation with Knies and the Leafs.

Carter Hutton: One that’s a head scratcher for me, and I know there’s value with what we’re seeing Bowen Byram pull in on the trade market and stuff like that, is Matthew Knies. He’s a guy that it feels like you want to build your team around, but there’s been a lot of talk with Toronto about potentially trading him. What’s your take on that?

Matt Larkin: I’m glad you asked, Hutts. I think we need to clarify, the Leafs are not shopping Matthew Knies. They are not trying to trade Matthew Knies. But if you look at what makes him special, he’s 232 pounds, he blows past defensemen with his speed despite being that big, he’s 23 years old, $7.75 million is a good cap hit in this era with the rising cap. He averages 27 goals and 65 points per 82 games the last couple seasons. Add all those things together and that is a player you should build around, but it also is a player that is going to attract some crazy offers. So I think with the Leafs, it’s a situation where “Hey, we are not trying to trade him. We’re even going to try to save ourselves from ourselves by asking for the moon for him, and if you’re willing to pay that, then ok, we are willing to trade him.”

If you go to a team like Chicago, they’re clearly desperate if you look at what they did for Bowen Byram. If Chicago’s willing to give up the number-four pick, and Frank Nazar, and/or Anton Frondell, it would be crazy, but that is what you should be asking for if you’re the Leafs. Make sure you don’t give away Knies for anything less than a crazy overpay. San Jose? Ok fine, we want number two and Michael Misa. Something that compells the Leafs to say “Ok, he was going to be part of our future, but if you’re going to offer this, we have to say yes.” You must be compelled to accept the deal, otherwise walk away if you’re John Chayka.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Thursday’s episode here…