A major report from NHL Insider David Pagnotta emerged earlier this week that the Toronto Maple Leafs nearly made a franchise-altering deal with their historic Original 6 and divisional rival Montreal Canadiens at the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline that ultimately fell through.
According to Pagnotta, the deal would have sent Matthew Knies from the Maple Leafs to the Canadiens in exchange for prospect Alexander Zharovsky, another unnamed prospect, and a pair of first round Draft selections.
And while the deal fell through, former NHL Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger, who reportedly interviewed for a major executive position with the Maple Leafs, voiced his view that Toronto wouldn’t have gotten enough in return for Knies if that was the package they’d have gotten in return.
Chris Pronger Expresses View That The Toronto Maple Leafs Would Have Been Stiffed In The Reported Matthew Knies Deal With Montreal
Joining Leafs Morning Take with hosts Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill, Pronger said that he felt the Maple Leafs would not have received adequate compensation for Knies had the reported deal gone through.
“I personally don’t think they were getting enough,” Pronger said. “He had a down year, but there’s a lot of meat left on the bone with him. Can you develop him and get him to the level people foresaw two years ago? Can he be a prototypical power forward? Can he be a Tom Wilson, so to speak, a player of that level of notoriety with physical presence and ability to provide offence in a role that very few players can play in this league nowadays.”
He continued:
“Why would you give him up if you’re not getting a king’s ransom for him? You need NHL players.”
However, if the Maple Leafs were to move on from Knies, it would trigger a full-scale rebuild.
“I don’t think you are going to do that [Knies] deal; you’re going to do a bunch of deals. If you’re going to move Knies, you better be moving [William] Nylander and Matthews,” Pronger said. “It’s not like he’s past his prime; he hasn’t even got to his prime, so that one to me doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Unless you are taking it to the studs, you don’t move him without moving other guys. There has to be a plan. You have to set parameters in place, and say, ok, if we’re moving this guy, then we’re moving this player and that player.”
Matthew Knies Is Under Contract For The Next Several Seasons
Knies, whom the Maple Leafs selected in the second round (57th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, was recently signed to a 6 year, $46,500,000 contract, keeping him in Toronto through 2031 with a salary cap hit of $7,750,000.
This past season, Knies scored 23 goals to go with a new career-high of 43 assists for 66 points.
So far in his NHL career, Knies has appeared in 240 regular season games, and has scored 67 goals to go with 93 assists. Additionally, he’s contributed eight goals with six assists in 27 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Chris Pronger Makes Strong Claim About Maple Leafs’ Reported Deal With Canadiens