How the Canadiens nearly acquired Matthew Knies from the Maple Leafs
NHL insider David Pagnotta made a splash on Thursday’s edition of the DFO Rundown show with Irfaan Gaffar by revealing that the Montreal Canadiens nearly acquired Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
Knies, 23, racked up 23 goals and 66 points in 79 games with the Maple Leafs this season, although he also finished last on the team with a minus-30 rating. The 6’3″ winger is under contract through 2031 at a $7.75 million cap hit.
As Pagnotta puts it, the Leafs were close to trading Knies to Montreal for a “four-pronged package” led by top prospect Alexander Zharovsky and a pair of first-round picks. The 19-year-old Zharovsky amassed 16 goals and 42 points in 59 KHL games with Ufa Salavat Yulayev in the 2025-26 season.
However, the deadline passed before the deal could be completed, and with Brad Treliving no longer at the helm in Toronto, it remains to be seen whether the Canadiens will still be able to revisit the trade this summer. Here’s what Pagnotta and Gaffar had to say about that on Thursday.
David Pagnotta: Kent Hughes alluded to this, this week when he spoke to the media — back at the trade deadline, he said, ‘We had something big, it didn’t work out, we’re going to revisit it in the summer. And then he reiterated those comments this week when he said, “Yeah, we still hope to make that happen, to revisit it.” Well, it was with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was big, it was Matthew Knies.
They had an agreement in place, between the Leafs and the Habs, that would’ve sent Matthew Knies to Montreal. Zharovsky was going the other way, as well as another prospect and two first-round picks. That was the package that was agreed upon. There were some complications ahead of the deadline, it didn’t get through, and they’re going to presumably revisit it.
This was under [the] previous Leafs regime with Brad Treliving, now John Chayka’s there. Now, according to some reports, I think CJ put it out that they’re willing to listen on anybody but Auston Matthews right now. But this was the big one. This was the one that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens were working on. Matthew Knies to the Habs; Zharovsky and a prospect — I don’t know the other player, full transparency, I don’t know — and two first-round picks. So, a four-pronged return for Matthew Knies.
Irfaan Gaffar: Obviously, that’s big. There’s gonna be a lot to unpack and obviously when people see this, they’re gonna go nuts about it, but … do you think the Montreal Canadiens will go back [to] this new Leafs regime and try and revisit that?
Pagnotta: I do. I absolutely do.
Watch the full video here: