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The Toronto Maple Leafs may not be in a hurry to trade a talented young winger like Matthew Knies.
They also don't seem to be holding back, though, or these rumors probably wouldn't persist in the way they are.
Knies has been in the rumblings since the trade deadline, and this offseason doesn't seem to have slowed the speculation.
Would they really trade him? That's one of those questions that will only truly be answered by action, or by inaction.
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But in the latest trade rankings for the offseason by The Athletic's Chris Johnston, Knies slots in the No. 5 spot. If he's going to move, he'll be highly desired.
"A young power forward with an ideal blend of size and skill who is signed until his late 20s, Knies is the kind of player NHL teams rarely, if ever, trade," Johnston writes. "Yet his name continues to circulate loudly in the rumor mill. The Leafs seriously considered moving Knies ahead of the March trade deadline and have picked up some of those discussions even after a recent change in management."
The NHL insider Johnston then goes on to suggest what it'll take to get Knies.
"The only way they’ll pull the trigger is if they receive a haul of assets to reboot a program short on prospects and draft picks," Johnston writes.
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Clearly, that's not a total surprise. Of course it'll be pricy to get Knies.
It's still worth noting, though. The Maple Leafs don't appear to want to sell low. They simply might want to shake things up.
Particularly if the winger Gavin McKenna is their pick at No. 1 overall, there's reason to potentially use Knies to get a different set of assets.
It's not a given that it'll happen, but it's clearly still in play.
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