John Chayka refused the Rangers deal that Brad Treliving would have taken

John Chayka is bold and willing to make several moves out of nowhere, but there's one player he's got a heavy price tag attached to is Matthew Knies.

Trading away Knies would take an absolute haul that includes a top player, a few picks and also projects on top of that. It's been something discussed this past offseason with Knies' name being linked to both the Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks.

But a report came out that the New York Rangers had tried hard to acquire Knies but the package desired by John Chayka and the Maple Leafs was out of their price range. While the logistics aren't public, whatever was offered didn't appeal to Chayka and he decided to hold onto his young power forward.

Matthew Knies carries a price that nobody is willing to pay

And with that, Chayka did something that Brad Treliving failed to do and while he didn't outright announce his decision publicly, reading closer shows that Toronto now views Matthew Knies as very expensive with no package rich enough to sway Chayka.

It's not a matter of protecting Knies because of what he could become, but rather what he's already done in such a short span.

For his career, he has 160 points in 240 games (67 goals, 93 assists) while adding 505 hits and a 16.3% shooting percentage.

He's one of only two players over the past two seasons to have 50+ goals, 120+ points and 330+ hits with only Washington star Tom Wilson being the other. All this contained in a package that costs only $7.75-million for the next five seasons at only 23 years old.

Unless you're trading for a franchise defenceman with term, it's too risky to trade Knies given that he's still years from his prime but has proven to be an NHL star. If Auston Matthews leaves for another team, Knies will no doubt be looked at as a foundational piece to build around and trading him leaves you shorthanded facing a worst-case scenario.

John Chayka's core is the polar opposite to Brad Treliving's

When Treliving was running the front office in Toronto, he did everything he thought was necessary to help Toronto win immediately without thinking about the future - the Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton trades are examples where Treliving traded away a 2026 and 2027 first round pick respectively on top of young prospects (Fraser Minten, Nikita Grebenkin).

But it put Toronto in a tough spot where they were recycling random veterans in and out of the lineup in the hopes a couple could be their playoff anchor. It didn't work, and now Treliving is out the door.

For as much as Chayka has done to make sure Toronto is competitive now, he's also got a plan for the future. Gavin McKenna was a very lucky get, but he also drafted for players who could be factors in two or three years.

He also only committed to the win-now window for Matthews and didn't add extra term when he didn't need to, so if that plan falls apart he at least has a chance to reset and start with a clean slate while building around McKenna, Knies, Easton Cowan and others.

It's how a franchise should be structured because as much as you're trying to win, you also need to prepare for years down the line. Chayka doesn't want to risk losing Knies especially if the return is meant for the chance to win now.

Knies gives you a chance to do both, and trading him isn't in Toronto's best interest.

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