Report: Maple Leafs rejecting Matthew Knies trade offers

Brad Treliving almost traded Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs shortly after signing him to a six-year contract extension. Now, Treliving is out of a job, and all signs are pointing to Knies staying long term in Toronto.

There were multiple reports in March leading up to the trade deadline that Treliving was involved in trade discussions with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, and Utah Mammoth on Knies, but the talks fizzled out last minute. Meanwhile, John Chayka has now taken over and made it very clear, while the calls are going to come in, he's not interested in moving Knies in his first couple of months on the job.

David Pagnotta: Re Matthew Knies: There were a bunch of teams, Montreal, Chicago, Utah, there were a few others that reached out; I think Chicago will try, but again I don't think Toronto is interested in going down that route - Commission Athletique (5/9)

Chayka and Knies go way back to his days in minor hockey in Arizona, and with the Leafs needing to add more size and skill up front, it's to no surprise that Chayka shut down the speculation. 

“Knies is a really unique player. I think his blend of size and skating and skill is really, really hard to find,” Chayka told me. “I’m not aware of what happened at the deadline or what previous regimes thought. I think Mats and I are going to go through and evaluate the roster and make some decisions.

“Ultimately, if you’re making a decision, you’re trying to get better. I think you’d be really hard-pressed to do better than Matthew Knies.”

Knies was almost a point per game player last year, and is signed through the 2031 season at $7.7 million AAV. If Chayka trades Knies, he mid as well pack Auston Matthews' bags for him.

Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images