Matthew Knies' agent had a very simple message for the Leafs prior to blockbuster trade

Matthew Knies' agent had a simple message for John Chayka regarding the rumors that surrounded the former Maple Leaf: Make a decision.

When the Maple Leafs traded Matthew Knies, it set off a firestorm on social media about whether or not it was the right call. Kirill Marchenko was the centrepiece of the return and while the early results from him have been solid - Knies has already been out of this world.

Scoring twice and adding three points in his debut, Knies cemented himself as a focal point of Columbus' offence and he could end up with a ridiculous stat line should he continue this pace.

Matthew Knies' agent not pleased with Maple Leafs' approach to trade

But it's the trade itself that a lot of people are shocked about, not the pieces. After John Chayka was adamant that he was not going to trade Knies, even going so far as to point out how 'rumours never end' in Toronto, he dealt him away at the last minute, and that didn't sit well with Knies' agent.

Matt Frederico took some umbrage with how Toronto approached the trade with Knies, and had a simple message for the team - either made the deal or don't:

The Maple Leafs were preparing for, I don't know if ultimatum is the right word, but you know, they knew that [Knies'] representation was gonna demand some clarity; our player needs to know he's in your plans or he's not.

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It's not exactly shocking or out of the norm to see Frederico try and get some answers, especially from a team notoriously known for keeping their cards close to their chest. But it did feel like there was no idea what was going to happen until it did. The first rumour dropped on Monday morning, and it wasn't until nearly 5 PM until we got details.

How Frederico and Knies could have prevented this from happening

That's a lot of time to try and work things out while also having a lot of time for things to go wrong. It's likely why Frederico was so urgent about getting something (or nothing) done. There's too much that can mess things up so the sooner, the better.

But the agent is also a bit at fault for this too. Knies signed his massive extension but did so without any trade protection. And we aren't talking minimal - literally zero. His only protection kicks in during the 2030-31 season where he has a 10-team no-trade list.

That's not the best way for an agent to approach things especially for a young player, and perhaps he was under the impression that the Maple Leafs weren't going to ever deal him away, but John Chayka has an itchy trigger finger and he can pull it at any time.

There's nothing we can do about it now, as Marchenko is a Maple Leaf and Knies is a Blue Jacket. Both teams are benefiting from this deal, and it was a genuine shock it happened at all. But Knies' agent didn't care one way or another - he just wanted an answer.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Kirill Marchenko had a serious ultimatum for the Maple Leafs before ever playing a game