The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be a team to watch this offseason. After a disappointing 2025-26 season that saw them miss the playoffs, it would not be surprising in the slightest if the Maple Leafs look to shake up their roster this summer.
The Maple Leafs have already made some notable changes, as they moved on from former head coach Craig Berube and former general manager Brad Treliving. John Chayka was hired as Treliving’s replacement, while the Maple Leafs also brought in legend Mats Sundin to be their new senior executive advisor. With this, Chayka is now expected to make some changes to the Maple Leafs’ roster as he kicks off his GM tenure with the Original Six club.
Due to this, two Maple Leafs were recently named among the NHL’s top trade candidates heading into the 2026 offseason.
Maple Leafs Stars Morgan Rielly & Matthew Knies Make New NHL Trade Board
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston recently released his latest trade board for the 2026 NHL Offseason. Two notable Maple Leafs were among the players discussed, as defenseman Morgan Rielly and forward Matthew Knies both made the cut.
Rielly was given the No. 5 spot on Johnston’s trade board. It is not necessarily too difficult to understand why, as he has been in the rumor mill for a long time now. Furthermore, with the Maple Leafs having such a bad 2025-26 season, it would make a lot of sense if they looked to move on from the veteran defenseman this offseason.
Johnston also noted that Rielly is now more open to waiving his no-movement clause, so it is certainly possible that the veteran defenseman will get moved this summer. While he had a tough year for the Maple Leafs in 2025-26, it is still likely that multiple teams would be interested in him this offseason. His $7.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2029-30 season is reasonable, as he is still a serviceable top-four defenseman.
As for Knies, the 23-year-old winger was given the No. 12 spot on Johnston’s list. This comes after the 6-foot-3 winger was one of the NHL’s top trade targets leading up to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Maple Leafs absolutely do not need to rush a Knies trade, as he is a young top-six power forward signed until the end of the 2030-31 season. However, the Maple Leafs could also get a massive return for him, so the possibility of him being dealt should not be ruled out. In 79 games this season for Toronto, he had 23 goals, 43 assists, 66 points, and 152 hits.
Which Other Maple Leafs Are Trade Candidates?
While Rielly and Knies were the only Maple Leafs on Johnston’s trade board, they have other trade candidates to watch this offseason. Both goaltenders, Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, have been the subject of trade speculation since the end of the season. Other players like Brandon Carlo, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Nick Robertson, Simon Benoit, and Matias Maccelii should also be watched.
It is going to be very interesting to see what kind of moves the Maple Leafs make this summer. With how badly this season went for Toronto, some notable changes could be on the way.
2 Toronto Maple Leafs Stars Make New NHL Trade Board