The Toronto Maple Leafs have already taken their first major step under the new leadership of John Chayka and Mats Sundin by parting ways with head coach Craig Berube. Now, attention shifts to what could be a significant roster shake-up as the organization looks to re-establish itself as a true Stanley Cup contender.
Amid the Leafs’ retooling, one NHL insider has offered an eye-opening reality check on the trade value of Auston Matthews compared to Matthew Knies.
Insider Breaks Down Auston Matthews vs. Matthew Knies Trade Value
Trade speculation surrounding Matthew Knies intensified after comments made by Chayka about the young forward’s future with the organization.
Speaking with Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, Chayka praised Knies but stopped short of guaranteeing anything about his long-term place in Toronto. “Knies is a really unique player. I think his blend of size and skating and skill is really, really hard to find…. I think Mats and I are going to go through and evaluate the roster and make some decisions,” Chayka said.
While Chayka clearly values Knies, his comments also suggested that no player may be completely untouchable if the right offer comes along.
NHL insider Chris Johnston later explained why Knies could actually command a bigger trade package than Auston Matthews in certain situations.
“The key thing with Matthew, I think, is that he’s an attractive asset. He signed for several years into the future, which is valuable to teams,” Johnston said. Then came the kicker.
“I actually had someone say to me this week, who works for an NHL team that I won’t name, he said if we were trading right now, we would actually give up more for Matthew Knies than we would for Auston Matthews.”
Johnston noted the difference is more about contracts than talent. Knies just completed the first season of his six-year, $46.5 million contract and does not carry a no-trade clause. Matthews, meanwhile, has two years remaining on his four-year, $53 million deal and holds full no-trade protection.
Johnston explained that trading for Matthews comes with added pressure because teams would need confidence that he plans to stay long term, while Knies gives clubs the comfort of having several prime years already secured under contract.
He also revealed that the Leafs received massive interest in Knies around the trade deadline. “One team put six pieces into an offer for Knies. And obviously, it wasn’t good enough to meet what the Leafs needed to pull the trigger, but they got a lot of teams’ attention by being willing to listen to them,” Johnston said.
For now, it remains unclear whether Toronto will seriously entertain moving Knies, but the comments from both Chayka and Johnston suggest the Leafs could be open to bold decisions as they reshape the roster for the future.
