With the NHL trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Toronto Maple Leafs are doing something they haven’t done in years: selling for draft capital. Mitch Marner’s summer departure, compounded by injuries and inconsistency, has left Toronto eight points out of a wild card spot. GM Brad Treliving has already dealt Nicolas Roy to Colorado for a first-round pick. Now two far bigger names — Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly — are dominating the final hours of trade chatter.
“The two interesting names that have popped up over the course of this week have been Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly,” David Pagnotta said on The Fourth Period. “Some teams are curious if they can pry, at least Knies, out of Toronto.
“If Toronto is going to consider this seriously, it’s going to have to be a blockbuster-esque kind of move.”
Could another big name be on the move from @MapleLeafs?@TheFourthPeriod stopped by #NHLNow to give the latest on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
NHL Network's coverage of the #NHLTradeDeadline begins tomorrow at 10a ET. https://t.co/tY8UUqPIc5 pic.twitter.com/qO9LQGFWRG
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) March 6, 2026
Matthew Knies Is No Longer Untouchable
Knies was supposed to be untouchable. He might still be, but the door has cracked open.
Late Thursday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed he had heard Knies’ name surface in league-wide discussions, framing it as Toronto fishing for something extraordinary rather than a probable deal:
“The chances of Auston Matthews getting traded now are equal to John Blutarsky’s grade-point average. William Nylander and John Tavares aren’t going anywhere. I heard some Matthew Knies, and that, to me, is the Maple Leafs seeing if there’s a massive offer they can’t turn down. That is the only way I see it happening.”
The 23-year-old carries real appeal. He’s one year into a six-year, $46.5M extension ($7.75M AAV) with zero trade protection until 2030-31. This season he’s posted 50 points (16G, 34A) in 59 games. Those numbers are solid, but below the breakout many expected after his 29-goal campaign the prior year.
Knies himself summed up the rumors in two words when asked by reporters this week: “It sucks.”
Any deal would require a franchise-altering return, likely a star-caliber player plus significant assets. The logic against it is almost circular: trading Knies just puts the Leafs back in the market for a player exactly like Knies.
The price is astronomical. It almost certainly won’t happen Friday. But the fact that it’s being discussed at all says everything about where this franchise stands right now.
Morgan Rielly Deal More Likely In The Offseason
The Morgan Rielly situation has a cleaner diagnosis than solution.
At 31, Rielly is in the worst stretch of his career. His footspeed has visibly declined, his defensive zone play has been shaky, and opponents have stopped respecting his power-play shot. He’s recorded just 24 hits in 56 games while logging over 21 minutes per night, which is a concerning combination for a top-pairing defenseman. Treliving reportedly told Rielly in last summer’s exit meetings that more was needed. It hasn’t come.
Rielly’s contract — $7.5M AAV through 2029-30 with four years and $30M remaining — is one problem. His full no-movement clause, active for the next two seasons, is another.
He has to consent to any trade, and by most accounts he hasn’t shown a burning desire to leave. He’s closing in on 1,000 games as a Maple Leaf, a milestone only five players in franchise history have reached.
Nick Kypreos was blunt this week: “There is no market for Morgan Rielly, and the Leafs have Jake McCabe on an affordable long-term deal.” San Jose is the most credible name, with reports that the Sharks formally expressed interest and asked Toronto to circle back when ready.
On The Fourth Period, Pagnotta noted San Jose and Anaheim as potential landing spots for Rielly, though he mentioned that a deal was more likely to happen in the summer than at the trade deadline.
“I would go back to Anaheim, another team looking for D,” Pagnotta said on Thursday. “And I wouldn’t be surprised about San Jose either — there’s been some interest there.”
The likeliest outcome: nothing happens Friday, and this becomes a summer conversation.
The Bottom Line
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Scott Laughton, and Bobby McMann are all expected to move before Friday’s 3:00 PM ET deadline.
But the decisions that follow will define Treliving’s tenure. What will he do with Auston Matthews? How will he fix a struggling blue line? And is Knies a cornerstone or a trade chip?
Knies is available only at an impossible price. Rielly is stuck by his own NMC.
And the Maple Leafs are navigating a rebuild in real time, one uncomfortable conversation at a time.
