Trading for Kirill Marchenko makes absolute sense for the Toronto Maple Leafs. What didn’t quite make sense was sending Matthew Knies back in the deal.
But when looking deeper at the situation, Toronto had powerful reasons to trade Knies. They didn’t really stand out at first glance, but when reading between the lines, the situation isn’t all that far-fetched.
Let’s dig in.
Maple Leafs Had Already Tried to Trade Knies
Knies had been in trade talks seemingly forever. At last season’s NHL trade deadline, Knies was one of the most-talked-about players. There was even a rumored trade that fell through at the last minute with the Montreal Canadiens.
As such, it’s worth asking just how much all the trade talk, which also extended into the summer, affected Knies’ feelings about remaining in Toronto.
That’s why the Maple Leafs had to do something about the situation: Either commit to Knies under the John Chayka administration or cut bait.
Now, fans know what the ultimate direction was.
Chayka Is Trying to Eliminate Any Memory of Brad Treliving
It’s been evident that John Chayka has been trying to erase any vestiges of Brad Treliving.
Ever since the current Maple Leafs GM took over, he’s been adamant about getting rid of his predecessor’s perceived mistakes.
Craig Berube was one of them (more on that in a minute).
Also, several players had to go. Joseph Woll comes to mind. Nick Robertson is another player Chayka didn’t hesitate to move.
And so Knies, as promising as he is, is another reminder of the failed Treliving administration. Even if his cap hit looked good on paper, Marchenko is a better stylistic fit for Jim Hiller than Knies.
Knies is a worker-bee that a coach like Rick Bowness would appreciate more than Marchenko. In fact, one point that insider Elliotte Friedman drilled home multiple times in his 32 Thoughts Podcast is that Marchenko just didn’t jive with Bowness.
So, the hope, at least for Columbus, is that Knies will be a much better overall fit for the club’s ethos.
Knies Just Wasn’t the Same After the Trade Deadline
The bottom line is that Matthew Knies just wasn’t the same after the trade deadline. While he played hurt for much of the season, it was evident that he didn’t excel as the season languished. Perhaps it was just the byproduct of playing for a lame-duck coach as the Maple Leafs ran out the clock on an awful season.
However, Knies scored three goals in his last 10 games, despite getting plenty of ice time. Then, Knies looked seemingly lost during the preseason this year. Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic had monster returns to the ice this season.
Knies, for his part, looked slow and off-kilter.
The preseason must have been the straw that convinced the Maple Leafs that it was time to move on from their once-promising second-round pick.
Maple Leafs Needed to Clear Cap Space
Lastly, all of Chayka’s wheeling and dealing this summer left the Maple Leafs in a bit of a cap crunch. Chayka solved that with Monday’s trade.
Knies pretty much had to be the guy to go. He had no trade protection and had the sort of cap hit that would have solved much of the problem.
While the Leafs did take on some other contracts, the overall deal solved the mini-crunch Toronto faced.
There could have been other trade candidates like Max Domi. But there were injuries and no-trade clauses that got in the way. Heck, it could have been Morgan Rielly who got the heave-ho.
But in the end, it had to be Knies.
It’s too bad it worked out this way, but that’s the business of the NHL.
Maple Leafs Had Powerful Reasons to Trade Matthew Knies