NHL Trade Deadline Literally Saved the Maple Leafs From Disaster
The Toronto Maple Leafs nearly traded young power forward Matthews Knies right at the trade deadline to the Montreal Canadiens, but the clock shut them out from making the ill-fated move.
On June 4, after several months of speculation about a Knies trade falling through at the deadline, The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta confirmed it to be the case.
For Knies, the 23-year-old American winger under contract for five more years at $7.75 million, the Maple Leafs would have acquired prospect Alexander Zharovsky, a second, unnamed prospect, and two future first-round picks from the rival Canadiens.
On June 5, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman confirmed on the "32 Thoughts Podcast" that this deal was indeed in place, but because the deal was submitted at 3:01 p.m. ET, one minute past the deadline, the NHL denied the trade.
The Leafs got saved.
Maple Leafs Got Lucky Trade Was Denied
While Zharovsky is an excellent prospect and the draft picks would have been nice to have, the Maple Leafs got saved by the bell here.
Trading Knies would have been a huge mistake, and thankfully for the Maple Leafs, this trade did not go through.
There is a reason MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley fired former Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving. Pelley was said to be in Toronto's war room at the trade deadline and reportedly did not like how Treliving's management team was operating.
The fact that Treliving was not only considering, but had agreed to a trade involving a 23-year-old power forward on the rise in Knies, who is signed to a long-term, sweetheart contract -- and to the Maple Leafs' historic rival in Montreal, nonetheless, is a fireable offense -- and that's exactly what happened to him a few weeks later.
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You don't trade players like Knies. While he may have had a bit of a down year for Toronto, he is still only 23, and he has scored 67 goals and 160 points in 240 career games. At 6'3" and weighing 232 lbs, he is blessed with size, and he throws the body around well.
Did we mention he's signed to an amazing contract that should only look better in future years as the NHL salary cap rises?
You don't trade someone like this. While the pieces Montreal would have sent Toronto back in the trade are nice to look at, ultimately, they are lottery tickets with no guarantee of panning into high-end NHL players, like Knies already is.
The Maple Leafs simply got lucky that they ran out of time, because trading Knies would have been a franchise-altering mistake.
You just don't trade players like this.
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How Do Maple Leafs Repair the Damage?
Now that the news of a potential Knies trade has trickled out and we know the return and the reason why it was nixed, the Maple Leafs need to repair the damage done.
After all, it was just last year that Knies agreed to a long-term deal to stay in Toronto, only to see the team try to deal him away a few months later.
But repairing the damage is easy, because Treliving is no longer in charge of the Maple Leafs.
After the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade, Treliving got the boot, as did head coach Craig Berube. Soon afterwards, the team hired John Chayka to be the GM, and brought back franchise legend Mats Sundin to be a senior advisor.
With new management in place, they can apologize to Knies about the confusion and promise him that he is part of the team's future, which he should be, because he is an incredible young talent who is only going to get better as the years go on.
After all, Montreal was willing to give up four pieces to trade for him. Quite frankly, the Canadiens are a better franchise right now with better management. So the fact that they wanted Knies so badly shows how highly the rest of the league thinks of him.
Chayka just needs to get on the same page with Knies and let him know that he's not going anywhere. He's a big part of the team's future, and if the Maple Leafs are going to turn things around and become Stanley Cup contenders, they need him.
The Maple Leafs were one minute away from losing one of the league's best young power forwards for a bag of magic beans. Thankfully, they were saved by the bell.
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 6:48 AM.