Matthew Knies and Jim Hiller are starting camp with one loud Toronto story still hanging over the roster.
Nick Kypreos' latest buzz says Chicago, Montreal, Buffalo, Dallas, and Columbus are all still poking around Knies. The key part is not the list. It is that the noise is not slowing down.
That matters because Knies is not a spare forward teams call on out of boredom. He is 23, he is big, and NHL.com lists him at 66 points in 79 games in 2025-26.
Players like that do not usually sit in trade chatter for long unless the asking price is massive or the team is at least willing to listen. That is what makes this one feel alive.
Toronto also knows exactly what it has. Knies already is signed through 2030-31 on a 6-year, $46.5 million contract, which means any club calling is asking about a controlled top-six winger, not a rental.
That contract is a big reason this market stays hot. There is no trade protection on the deal, so rival teams do not have to wonder about a blocked destination before they make the call.
" Nick Kypreos: Re Matthew Knies/Maple Leafs: Chicago, Montreal, Buffalo and most recently Dallas and Columbus are poking around. With Knies having zero trade protection, I don't hear this trade noise on him slowing down - Sportsnet (7/1) "
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The Matthew Knies saga just took a major new turn
That is the strongest angle here. Hiller is new, John Chayka is still reshaping the roster, and Toronto is not dealing from weakness if it ever chooses to make a Knies move.
Buffalo makes obvious sense because it has been chasing high-end young help. Montreal fits because it has been looking for impact additions, while Dallas and Columbus both have reasons to hunt for a big winger if the price can be met. Chicago is the wild card because it still has assets and room to swing.
The harder part is Toronto's side. Knies was one of the few Leafs forwards last season who looked like a long-term piece no matter what else changed around him. NHL.com's team stats show only William Nylander topped his 66 points among Toronto forwards.
That is why this does not feel like simple offseason gossip. If teams keep circling a player this useful, it usually means the league believes the Leafs still might be tempted by the right hockey return.
And that return would have to hurt. A winger with Knies' age, size, contract, and production is the kind of piece you move only if the deal changes your team right away.
So the trade noise around Matthew Knies is not fading for one reason: too many teams see the same thing Toronto sees. He is young, productive, under control, and exactly the kind of forward hard teams try to steal when a front office is still reworking its roster.
Should the Maple Leafs shut down all Matthew Knies trade calls now?
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