Matthew Knies may be drawing calls from around the league, but the teams doing the calling aren't sure the Toronto Maple Leafs are actually willing to move him.
That's the word from TSN's Darren Dreger, who reported this morning that managers who have expressed interest in Knies don't believe John Chayka actually wants to trade the 23-year-old forward.
Darren Dreger: I don't think - and this is what I'm getting from managers who do have interest in Matthew Knies - they don't believe that John Chayka actually wants to trade him
It's the kind of signal that kills a market before it ever gets going.
Knies just wrapped a season where he posted 66 points in 79 games, carrying a $7.75 million cap hit and going minus-30 on a team that finished 32-36-14.
That differential matters. The Maple Leafs went 2-7-1 in their final 10 games and finished with a minus-46 goal differential across 82 games.
Those aren't the numbers of an organization in control of its situation. And yet the front office appears to be protecting one of its most productive pieces.
Leafs holding pattern raises real questions about direction
The hesitation makes some sense on paper. Knies scored no goals in his last five games of the season but still chipped in 2 assists. He went minus-8 over that same stretch.
Strip away the rough finish and you still have a 23-year-old who produced 23 goals and 43 assists on a team that couldn't stay out of its own way.
Selling that at a discount would be hard to justify. Not selling it at all, on a team that just posted 78 points and ranked 28th in the league, is a harder position to defend.
This is the problem with sending smoke signals into the trade market and then pulling back. Teams stop believing the phone is real.
Think of it like a for-sale sign that goes up every spring and comes down by July. Eventually the neighbours stop asking about the house.
Other GMs are now recalibrating. If Chayka isn't genuinely moving Knies, the asking price becomes irrelevant.
What's the plan in Toronto then? The roster as currently built didn't work. The team went on a seven-game losing streak to close the year.
Knies carries real value at 23 with six power play goals and a proven role in a top-six. That value doesn't increase if the Leafs tread water for another off-season.
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The trade market will keep moving with or without this phone call getting answered.
Should the Maple Leafs trade Matthew Knies this off-season?
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