The New York Rangers really wanted Matthew Knies; who wouldn't? But the Maple Leafs' requested return for the star power forward could be a telling sign of his value.
As the NHL offseason continues, so too does the rumour speculation, as the Dylan Larkin saga is far from over, and there's still a potential Morgan Rielly deal that may be in the works.
But one name who dominated the headlines this summer was Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies, as he was linked to a Montreal deal (that was more hearsay than anything) then was tossed around in talks regarding both Chicago and Buffalo with the 2026 4th overall pick involved, and then finally a Zach Werenski deal fell apart after the defender committed to Columbus.
Toronto's price for Matthew Knies appears to require a franchise-changing return
He'd certainly bring back a premium package though Toronto may feel a bit silly about trading a 23-year-old power forward with who has shown pure dominance over the last two years and is still nowhere near his prime.
A package so big in fact, it actually started to scare teams away.
John Chayka isn't letting Knies go for cheap, so with that he's going to ask for as much as he can and according to Vincent Mercogliano - the New York Rangers were blown away by the demands:
New York also had Toronto's Matthew Knies on its radar earlier this offseason, but that would require a price tag Drury almost surely couldn't afford. League chatter seems to have quieted on that front, anyway.
We don't know what the offer would have looked like but there's no doubt that New York's 5th overall pick was involved with perhaps names like Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere, and Will Cuylle on top of other picks and/or prospects.
No doubt Toronto would have gotten a king's ransom for the power forward but with New York looking to rebuild, then getting rid of a ton of young assets is probably not the way to do it.
The Rangers backing away could make Knies untouchable in future Maple Leafs trade talks
If the Rangers - a rebuilding team with a ton of interest in Knies - is turned away by the potential package, then odds are so will many others.
Who knows what was offered and there could have been a chance that Chris Drury tried to offload some of his veterans alongside the 5th overall pick for Knies but Toronto wouldn't budge. The Maple Leafs would need to ask for the farm considering they are giving up such a huge asset and a Vincent Trocheck trade isn't worth it.
But it also shows how the Maple Leafs view Knies considering they will be looking to squeeze teams as much as possible for the chance to get Knies, and even if their offer is pretty hefty, unless it's absolutely perfect then there's no way for anyone to have the power forward but Toronto.
Of all the names on the Maple Leafs' untouchable list, there is really only a couple. Gavin McKenna comes to mind, as does Easton Cowan and maybe Auston Matthews. Besides that, it's a small list.
And one that Knies is at the top of.
Will the Maple Leafs ever think of trading Matthew Knies?
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