Matthew Knies' trade speculation has been at an all-time high but the newest word around town is that he's here to stay which will make Maple Leafs fans relieved.
A lot of the talk over the past few weeks has centred around whether or not the Toronto Maple Leafs were actually trading Matthew Knies or not. He's been in talks since the deadline, and with a potential Zach Werenski deal poking around, it seemed that he was likely headed out of town as the prime return for the Blue Jackets.
But Werenski has stated he wants to stay in Columbus, and with no real other big deals available at the current time, it looks more and more like the Maple Leafs are going to keep Knies in the fold for the foreseeable future.
Maple Leafs management called Knies 'important' and signalled he's certainly part of their plans
And recent comments from Maple Leafs assistant GM Ryan Hardy assured fans that Knies is not going anywhere and the team is more than happy to have him as part of the lineup come October:
For us, we're in contact with his group, as you always are with all your players. But Matthew Knies is an important part of the Maple Leafs, and anything beyond that is really just speculation I guess.
That's a huge relief for fans who may have been worried that the Maple Leafs were perhaps acting a little too hasty in getting rid of Knies, although if the team is looking for a premier defenceman he's the best trade piece in order to do so.
Knies, 23, had 66 points in 78 games for the Maple Leafs last season (23 goals, 43 assists) while also adding 152 hits which is yet another example of his unicorn-esque skillset. He's fast, he's defensively sound, he's a huge on-ice presence, he hits hard, he's got a great shot and an underrated playmaking ability.
This is a strong turnaround from a week or so ago where we had several reports that stated any package for someone like Zach Werenski would cost you Knies, but follows in the footsteps of a later report that stated Toronto would part with Easton Cowan and Ben Danford as opposed to Knies.
Toronto is right to keep Matthew Knies at least for now
All of that for a guy who only costs $7.75-million per season and isn't even near his prime. While there is a chance that the Maple Leafs have seen the best of Knies already and he's someone who hovers around 55-60 points with 150+ hits (a very, very good asset mind you), he could be even better.
He's going to factor into the offence no doubt this upcoming season but we also have to have the awareness to know that Knies absolutely could still be traded. If Toronto is in the thick of it at the deadline, or they feel their forward core is strong enough and need an improvement on the blueline; we could circle back to Werenski.
That's honestly a last-ditch effort to improve though because by the time the deadline rolls around and barring any catastrophic injuries, Knies will likely be on pace or at where he was last year, and with a better team around him then it's likely he'll be looking at the postseason; or close to it.
John Chayka did a lot to change the makeup of the Maple Leafs lineup and it's meant to help give the offensive players a chance to shine. That can only be a good thing for Knies and if he's sticking around then we'll know just how good he can really be going forward.
Do you believe the Maple Leafs when they say they want to keep Matthew Knies?
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