Matthew Knies is headed to Columbus, and Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka says he apologized to him for months of trade noise.
Chayka addressed it Tuesday, hours before the Leafs open the regular season at home against Montreal.
"I don't think it was necessarily fair to him," Chayka said. That's a rare admission from a GM, and it shows up a little late.
"This was the only thing we seriously considered as a management group," he added. Read that one twice.
According to Chayka, Knies "took the news well." After months of hearing his name floated around, what else was left to feel?
In the Leafs' clip, Chayka stands at the podium between two microphones, dark jacket over an open-collared white shirt, glancing down as he speaks.
It's the breakup text that opens with an apology. Kind words, sure, but the locks were already changed.
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Toronto sends Matthew Knies to Columbus before Canadiens game
Chayka also said he thinks Knies will be a good player in Columbus. What the Leafs got back wasn't part of that clip.
Here's the problem with the apology. If the noise wasn't fair to him, the Leafs had plenty of time to shut it down, and they let it drag anyway.
The Leafs still pay Auston Matthews $13,250,000 and William Nylander $11,500,000, so the heaviest money on the roster stays put.
Exhibition play ended at 2-1-1 for the Leafs, who carry a two-game winning streak into tonight.
Jim Hiller, hired in June, now sets his first regular-season lineup with one familiar name already crossed off the board.
The Blue Jackets went 3-1-0 in the preseason and closed with a 4-2 win in Detroit last Saturday.
Rick Bowness runs that bench, and Don Waddell's front office already pays Adam Fantilli $13,750,000.
The Blue Jackets open Thursday at home against Buffalo, then host Utah on Saturday.
October 20 is the date to watch, when the Leafs visit Columbus for the first of three meetings. By then, Toronto will get a firsthand look at whether Chayka's prediction was a compliment or a warning.
Did the Maple Leafs make a mistake trading Matthew Knies to Columbus?
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