Matthew Knies for Simon Nemec is the closest thing to a fair one-for-one swap in the NHL right now
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs may not get the haul they would hope for with Matthew Knies, according to a report.
The Leafs may not get more than a one-for-one in value if they trade Matthew Knies, at least one analyst thinks so.
Speaking with Devils beat reporter James Nichols, Leafs analyst Zack Phillips discussed the potential of a Matthew Knies deal that could involve defenseman Simon Nemec, but that it may not be the blockbuster some Leafs fans would expect for Knies.
I think, from a Leaf standpoint, Nemec is where you start, and does the package have to include more? maybe. But does it go much deeper than that? The honest answer for me would be no.
If New Jersey's having something else into that conversation where it's just going to be some smaller piece, I could see that working out for both sides, or for the Leafs, at least in that one. I don't know how comfortable the devils get adding more onto that deal. But yeah, I can see that working, where it's pretty close to a Knies/Nemec, you're pretty much done at that. - Zack Phiillips
If New Jersey's having something else into that conversation where it's just going to be some smaller piece, I could see that working out for both sides, or for the Leafs, at least in that one. I don't know how comfortable the devils get adding more onto that deal. But yeah, I can see that working, where it's pretty close to a Knies/Nemec, you're pretty much done at that. - Zack Phiillips
A potential blockbuster trade sending
Matthew Knies to the New Jersey Devils would likely look like this:
Matthew Knies to the New Jersey Devils would likely look like this:
Toronto Maple Leafs receive:
Simon Nemec
2027 2nd round pick
2027 2nd round pick
New Jersey Devils receive:
Matthew Knies
Matthew Knies should be viewed as a cornerstone asset rather than a trade chip according to Zack Phillips
Further to Knies, Zack Phillips says that Matthew Knies should be a player Toronto prioritizes winning around, rather than moving him just to move him.
I don't mind if it's just gauging the market, but at the same time, It comes back to that same question that I just keep asking, is like, what are you actually going to get, because if you look at him and you think he's this piece.
That's gonna be the leader of your team, the top six forward, the first line left winger, a guy who plays on the first Power Play who has all the intangibles that he brings to the table. Like what we've seen through the first couple of playoffs series that he's been in. Isn't that the kind of guy that you want here? - Phillips
That's gonna be the leader of your team, the top six forward, the first line left winger, a guy who plays on the first Power Play who has all the intangibles that he brings to the table. Like what we've seen through the first couple of playoffs series that he's been in. Isn't that the kind of guy that you want here? - Phillips
Knies, 23, has already proven himself as a core member of the Leafs, with 20 goals, 39 assists, & 59 points this season, he's likely to be key to the present and future, as long as they keep him.
Nemec, 22, the second overall pick in 2022, has finally found his footing as a full time NHL after a slow climb to the NHL. Nemec has 10 goals and 24 points in 56 games this season for New Jersey.
James Nichols agreed with Phillips that Knies is one of the Leafs best players, and that he's a player that makes more sense keeping than not.
Why dealing Matthew Knies doesn't fit the current vision for the Leafs
A potential one-for-one deal involving Matthew Knies and Simon Nemec, or Nemec and a pick, is one that doesn't benefit Toronto, but also doesn't fit what the team is trying to do.
Desperate to be a playoff team next season, adding a young defenseman in Nemec with a lack of experience and growing pains is far from what a contending team like Toronto would look at to move Knies.
On the Leafs blueline, it would be thought that Knies would come at the cost of an experienced veteran blueliner who can impact play at both ends and on special teams.
While Nemec is showing the top-four promise he was hoped for when he was drafted, his career so far has underwhelmed, and while he's showing his potential, he can't be justified as a headliner in a Matthew Knies deal just yet.
What should be noted is that Nichols himself in a recent article said that a Knies-for-Nemec one-for-one deal is potentially underselling, going as far to suggest a return of Dawson Mercer, Seamus Casey, and a first, suddenly a very friendly return on Toronto's end.
The true answer of Matthew Knies' trade value may be somewhere in the middle of the two proposals, but both offers spark the same blaring question, what purpose does trading Matthew Knies do for the Toronto Maple Leafs? And not easy is a positive answer.
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Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 26|1480 ANSWERS Matthew Knies for Simon Nemec is the closest thing to a fair one-for-one swap in the NHL right now Should the Leafs trade Matthew Knies for Simon Nemec 1-for-1? | ||
| Yes | 156 | 10.5 % |
| No | 1324 | 89.5 % |
| List of polls | ||