There were multiple Original Six National Hockey League clubs who were unable to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, among them the Chicago Blackhawks. But one of the surprises was the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to qualify for the first time in a decade.
Of course, this came after a massive change last offseason when longtime Leafs forward Mitch Marner, once viewed as a foundational building block piece for the club, was shipped to the Vegas Golden Knights in a blockbuster sign and trade deal.
Meanwhile the Maple Leafs have gone through multiple changes since then, including the termination of general manager Brad Treliving, and the subsequent hiring of controversial Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka as his official successor.
There will be other changes coming to the Maple Leafs in the coming months before next season begins, but what are the odds that the Blackhawks could be looking to poach the Toronto roster and make life on them even more difficult for 2026-27?
Are The Blackhawks Going To Poach The Maple Leafs This Offseason?
According to NHL Insider David Pagnotta, the Blackhawks, who were said to have interest in Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies earlier in the season, are going to “circle back” to him during the coming months.
“I think that piece is available,” Pagnotta said. “The word I got out of Chicago was that, unless they won the lottery and drafted first overall, whether it’s (picks) two, three, four, five, whatever, they’re going to dangle that pick. And here we are, they’re at number four. And obviously, there’s no guarantees they actually trade it, because you’ve got to find the right deal.”
“They’re going to circle back on Matthew Knies,” Pagnotta continued. “Now, I don’t know if Toronto has any interest with their new management regime in even exploring it, but that’s not going to stop Chicago from at least inquiring. But clearly, that’s the caliber player in terms of where they’re at in the NHL.”
The Maple Leafs already have the first overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft, and they could be enticed by having another pick inside of the top-5.
Back in March, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman also revealed that the Blackhawks were among a handful of clubs that were interested in Knies.
“Teams that showed serious interest in Matthew Knies included Anaheim, Chicago, Montreal, New Jersey and Utah,” Friedman wrote. “Everyone has denied that the Canadiens went far down the road, but … we’ll see. There were some teams who didn’t believe the Maple Leafs were serious about it, but now recognize the possibility.”
Matthew Knies Is Signed For Several More Years
Selected by the Maple Leafs in the second round (57th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, Knies has played his entire NHL career with the franchise.
They signed him to a six-year, $46.5 million contract that runs through the 2030-31 NHL season with a salary cap hit of $7.75 million, a portion of which they could be asked to retain in any potential deal.
In the 240 career games Knies has skated in since breaking into the NHL, he’s tallied 67 goals with 93 assists. He’s also added eight goals with six assists in 27 playoff games.
Blackhawks Reportedly Looking To Poach Maple Leafs Star