Any Matthew Knies trade talk is about the return and not the player
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on The FAN Hockey Show on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Matthew Knies speculation. It’s about the assets they could possibly get for Knies, and nothing to do with the player. The Leafs don’t have a lot of assets.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Matt Marchese: “I look at the Knies situation, I just wonder what changed? Because that felt like a guy that, I mean, nobody’s, nobody’s untouchable, because I always say Wayne Gretzky got traded. But it felt like one of those guys that was going to be part of the future. What do you think changed in their assessment of Matthew Knies?
Friedman: “I don’t think anything has changed at all. As I’ve said multiple times, I do not believe this is about Matthew Knies as the player. This is about the situation the Maple Leafs find themselves in. The lack of assets they have and what they can do to get more.
NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Montreal Canadiens
You know, one of the things that the Maple Leafs decided was that nobody was leaving for free. Scott Laughton, in case they couldn’t sign him, he was not walking out the door for free. So they got a pick for him. Bobby McMann, in case they couldn’t sign him, and I think after the (Kiefer) Sherwood extension, the two sides were significantly apart. Then he was not walking out for free. And (Nic) Roy had another year, but they got a really good offer they took. So I think that is exactly what this deadline was about.
And I think that with Knies, the reason his name got out and the reason I think they got calls was, because it’s got nothing to do with Knies the player. Like he’s a really good player and will be a really good player for a long time. It’s purely about, if we traded him, we could get things for him. And I think that’s exactly the way they looked at it.”
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