The only Matthew Knies trade the Maple Leafs should even consider

If the Maple Leafs are going to trade Matthew Knies, then perhaps the only way to do it is within their division and take a huge haul away from the Buffalo Sabres.

There's been a lot of discussion over the past little bit regarding Matthew Knies and his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs. You'd think that a 23-year old power forward with 30-goal potential is someone you'd want to keep, but you can never say never in the NHL and who knows what John Chayka and the rest of the front office has in mind.

It would be hard to pry Knies away form Toronto and the reported ask for the forward is at the very least a top-pairing defender, a first-round pick, and a secondary player who can fit into the lineup right away.

Sabres acquire Matthew Knies for Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod, 2027 first

Only a handful of teams can offer that, however with the news that the Buffalo Sabres are entertaining offers for Bowen Byram - then perhaps you can add them to the top of the list.

Buffalo parting ways with Byram could open up the door to a potential Knies swap, and while there are more pieces, there's some fire around those smoking hot rumours:

The Sabres were in on Knies at the deadline and got far down the road from what I understand.

Reports are the Leafs want a top defenseman for Knies if he's moved.

Deal involving Knies and Byram feels logical.

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Well it makes a lot of sense for both the Maple Leafs to target Byram as they want to replace Morgan Rielly as he looks more and more likely headed elsewhere and the Sabres to replace Alex Tuch with Knies...what other pieces are involved?

Well, Toronto not only acquires Byram but they also give themselves a brand new 2C/3C in Ryan McLeod. The 26-year old had 54 points in 81 games this season (14 goals, 40 assists) while adding a plus-25 and playing above average defence that got him some minor Selke recognition.

He's also signed until 2030 unlike Byram, who is a free agent after the 2026-27 season (though it's likely an extension is agreed upon before a deal is done). Then you add in their 2027 first and you suddenly have a decent trade foundation.

But why stop there? If Knies is as valuable as some teams believe, then squeezing your rival for every asset possible is the only way to stomach it - so they need that 20th overall pick as well.

That gives Toronto a chance to add a generational prospect and someone who very likely has a role and with such a star-studded class of players, they could end up with someone special they otherwise would have missed out on.

Why Matthew Knies is worth holding out for such a gigantic haul

Knies is a 23-year old power forward who just had a career year with 66 points in 79 games including 43 assists. He also added 152 hits and in 2024-25 was one of only three players with 25+ goals and 150+ hits.

He's been labelled a unicorn and for good reason. He's a huge body on the ice, but moves like lightning. He hits like a truck but has feathery hands. He's almost an anomaly because there's very few players in the entire league built like Knies.

It's why you ask for so much because unless you're targeting Tom Wilson or Brady Tkachuk then you're not getting a player the calibre of Knies. But they're not 23 years old and still far from their prime.

If he's this good now, imagine when he hits his prime and is potentially scoring 85-90 points with triple digit hits. Toronto needs a defenceman no doubt, and they need to improve the lineup and add some real killer instinct up and down.

But at the cost of Matthew Knies? That's still up for debate because while Byram, McLeod and that first-rounder can certainly do some damage going forward - there's really no one like Matthew Knies so your trade package has to be one that no one else would dare to make.

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