Matthew Knies' name is still floating on the trade market, and the Maple Leafs haven't found the right deal to move him.
Renaud Lavoie said on his BPM Sports morning show that Knies could still get traded before the season starts.
But he was clear about one thing. Montreal isn't the landing spot, whatever fans want to believe.
Knies posted 66 points last season on a mix of finish and playmaking, but he also finished at a jarring -30.
He carries a $7,750,000 cap hit at 23 years old, the kind of term that makes rebuilding clubs pause before pulling the trigger.
Over his last 10 games of the season he had 7 points, so the offensive touch was still there even as the losses piled up.
The Maple Leafs finished 28th overall with a -46 goal differential, closing the year on a long losing streak nobody in Toronto wants to relive.
Toronto's new front office rewrites the asking price
The framework that was on the table with Montreal back in March doesn't exist anymore. New management, new demands.
Toronto brought in Jim Hiller as head coach this summer, and the front office overhaul changes the calculus on every trade chip, Knies included.
So why hasn't a deal happened yet? Because whoever runs the Leafs now isn't handing out a top-six winger for spare parts.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, closed last season with 106 points and a sixth overall finish, the kind of results that buy a GM patience.
Kent Hughes has stayed disciplined all summer, refusing to pay full price just to fill a need on paper.
Toronto went 1-3-0 against Montreal last season, including a shootout loss in December that still stings around the room.
Passing on term and age 23 to solve a positional gap is a bad bet in this league, and Hughes clearly knows it.
Chasing a top-six forward this late in the summer is like shopping for a couch after the showroom's already been picked over. You take what's left, or you wait.
Whether Knies ends up somewhere else entirely, or Toronto just holds onto him into October, nobody around the league is ruling anything out yet.
Should the Canadiens go all in and trade for Matthew Knies even if it costs a top prospect?
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