Auston Matthews didn't just hear about the Maple Leafs' trade with Columbus. He knew it was coming, and he liked it.
Word that Matthews was looped in ahead of the deal sending Matthew Knies to the Blue Jackets for Kirill Marchenko landed right after last night's 2-1 win over the Islanders.
The report says he knew the move was a possibility in advance. He was excited about the chance to play with a player of Marchenko's calibre.
"If they were going to trade a young guy like Knies, they were going to get someone back who he was thrilled about," per The Fourth Period, via Daily Faceoff.
Then came the line that should make every Leafs fan sit up: "A lot of the moves Toronto has made and will continue to make are about appeasing their top guys."
Appeasing. That's a loaded word for a franchise paying Matthews $13,250,000 against the cap.
And Knies wasn't some fourth-line body. The 23-year-old, drafted 57th overall in 2021, put up 66 points in 79 games for Toronto last season.
Jim Hiller now runs a bench where the star gets a say
The damning part of his year? He went minus-30, the kind of number that turns a young forward into a trade chip no matter how many points sit beside it.
Jim Hiller only took over behind the bench in June. He's already coaching a roster whose biggest move of the fall apparently ran past his top player first.
This is a bad precedent. Letting a star preview trades is like handing the loudest passenger the steering wheel on a road trip. Fine on the straightaway. Trouble at the first bend.
Early returns on the new piece are mixed. Marchenko logged 18:16 in last night's win and put 3 shots on goal, but he also went minus-1.
The man who wanted him hasn't found the scoresheet yet. Matthews played 20:04 in that game and sits without a point through two games, carrying a -2 rating.
Meanwhile, Easton Cowan scored the power play winner against New York. The 21-year-old has 3 points in 2 games, a reminder that young legs still win games in this building.
The cap math does help Toronto. Marchenko carries $3,850,000, while Knies is locked in at $7,750,000 through 2030-31.
That gap matters on a team where Matthews and William Nylander combine for $24,750,000. Somebody has to fill out the bottom six on what's left.
The Leafs sit 1-1-0 with Ottawa coming to town Saturday. Knies gets his first look at his old team from the other bench on October 20 in Columbus.
What happens if Marchenko and Matthews haven't clicked by then?
Because the next trade in Toronto now comes with a question attached before the ink dries. Who signed off first, the front office or the dressing room?
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Should Auston Matthews have this much influence over Maple Leafs trades?
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