Sounds like Toronto Maple Leafs almost traded Knies to hated rival

The Toronto Maple Leafs almost pulled off a blockbuster deal with one of their biggest rivals last season. 

The 2025-26 season was one to forget for the Maple Leafs, who missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, which led to the team being sellers at the trade deadline. Multiple players were shipped off for future assets at the deadline, including Nicolas Roy, Bobby McMann, and Scott Laughton. 

However, a new report from The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta states that Toronto was well down the road on a massive trade that would have sent Matthew Knies to the Montreal Canadiens. 

"They had an agreement in place, between the Leafs and the Habs, that would have sent Matthew Knies to Montreal," Pagnotta reported on Thursday. "[Alexander] Zharovsky was going the other way, with 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 are going to presumably revisit it." 

That would have been quite a deal for both sides involved. For the Canadiens, adding Knies would have been a massive boon for their playoff run. The 23-year-old potted 23 goals and, a career-best, 66 points with the Leafs this past season. He would have fit in nicely with Montreal's young core. 

Zharovsky, meanwhile, was a second-round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2025, and the 19-year-old forward had an impressive 16 goals and 42 points in the KHL this season.

The identity of the other prospect headed back to Toronto in the rumoured deal is not yet known. 

It remains to be seen if the two sides come together to revisit this trade scenario. It's notable to mention that the initial trade would have been agreed upon with the old Toronto regime when Brad Treliving was the GM. 

John Chayka now sits in Toronto's GM chair. 

The Leafs are also in a different position now than they were at the trade deadline. Toronto holds the first-overall pick in this year's draft and will be adding another highly-touted young player into the fold no matter who they select. 

Does that change their willingness to trade a young, productive forward like Knies to a divisional rival? It's anybody's guess at this point. 

One thing is for certain: it's shaping up to be a very interesting summer for the Maple Leafs.