Matthew Knies had been discussed in potential trades between the Maple Leafs and other teams leading up to March 6, but even now that GM Brad Treliving is gone, the forward’s name continues to be bantered among the league long past the trade deadline.
One team source told me the Maple Leafs’ ask, under Treliving, was one of three options:
1. Two first-round picks and a high-end prospect.
2. One first-round pick and two high-end prospects.
3. Three high-end prospects.
However, a big issue for teams suspected to have been involved in those talks, including Montreal and Chicago, was how late the possibility was raised. Toronto caught teams off guard with the idea, and some were unprepared to make a deal of that magnitude up against the deadline.
After Treliving’s dismissal, his replacement will need to have a plan for if and how to follow up on this.
Do they pick up these talks again and explore them further? Or will they shut down the talks and reassure Knies he’s a big part of a re-tool?
Meantime, the search is on for who will succeed Treliving, and in what role. There is no shortage of emails, texts and phone calls to Keith Pelley about the opening of a president/GM job.
One of the names we hear linked to the Leafs in that capacity is Chris Pronger, and I can confirm that there has already been contact between the two sides.
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The timing of Pronger’s media blitz for his new memoir, Earned, couldn’t be any better, as he’s certainly given the impression on many podcasts that he doesn’t mind all the attention and speculation.
The big question within the organization, however, is whether Pelley is willing to go with another inexperienced Hall of Fame player in a senior position after letting go of Brendan Shanahan a year ago. When Shanahan first arrived in Toronto as its president, he had a much longer leash to work through the growing pains that a guy like Pronger will not get.
And while the attention naturally is on Treliving’s replacement and how the hockey team will operate, many are keeping an eye on the bigger picture with what ultimately happens with MLSE under the majority ownership of Rogers and its media umbrella. Sportsnet is owned by Rogers.
Currently, the Toronto Blue Jays are owned directly by Rogers, while the Maple Leafs are independently run by MLSE. However, one potential plan is for Rogers to restructure and consolidate all of its sports teams under a single, unified company.
So, there are several things at play here, and what it all could look like beyond the hiring of just one person in charge of the Leafs is anyone’s guess at this point.
What about Morgan Rielly?
Even without a GM in place, you have to wonder if the next half dozen games could be Morgan Reilly’s last as a Maple Leaf.
It’s no secret that a plan to re-tool will likely include some shake-up to Toronto’s blue line.
Even without a new GM in place, as Ryan Hardy and Brandon Pridham are at the helm in the interim, many industry sources believe the Leafs will still be looking at options to move on from their longest-tenured player. A buyout is unlikely, considering he has four years left on his contract. Rielly has a no-movement clause for the next two seasons as well, but expect the club to do its best to convince him to waive it to make a creative trade and send him to a place of his liking.
As many NHL teams have informed me, they still see a good and serviceable player in Rielly who could be rejuvenated under the right circumstances.
But for that to happen, the Maple Leafs may need to retain as much as 50 per cent of the $7.5 million AAV he has, and throw in a draft pick sweetener.
