Maple Leafs GM John Chayka Opens Up About Matthew Knies Trade Talk

The Matthew Knies trade rumors are hot and heavy around the Toronto Maple Leafs these days. That'll happen when word leaks that the team actually had a deal in place at the trade deadline to send the blossoming power forward to the Montreal Canadiens, only to be reported to the league just one minute late. 

But that was the previous Leafs administration that pulled off (and then botched) that trade. There's a new boss in town, and GM John Chayka now has to deal with the Knies fallout, and the red-hot rumors that they're still looking to trade him. 

Chayka has opened up about the Knies talk on Friday, calling it "not probable" that a trade would be made. 

🚨 The Maple Leafs will evaluate all trade speculation, but trading such a valuable young player like Matthew Knies is “𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘,” according to Leafs GM John Chayka.

“The idea that we’re going to improve the roster by moving a top young player. Anything’s… pic.twitter.com/cJ7TKiRBAl

— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) June 19, 2026

“On any type of trade speculation, I think I was pretty direct on Matthew Knies in my opening press conference,” Chayka said Friday. “The statement still stands. In my job as GM, we will evaluate everything, but that is the job. Again, the idea that we are going to improve the roster by moving a top young player, I mean, anything is possible, but I guess it is not probable. I think it makes for good writing and interest for people, but as we think about our team and how we can improve, that is a tough bar to hurdle.”

The new GM was addressing the media while announcing his blockbuster move of trading for top pending UFA defenseman Darren Raddysh.

An insider report this week suggested that Chayka is doing his "due diligence" on Knies offers, and there are many rival GMs around the league who feel that he "will be traded."

Knies had a career-high 66 points this past season, while dishing out 152 hits with his powerful 6'3", 230-pound frame.