All Montreal Canadiens should be happy that the purported blockbuster with the Toronto Maple Leafs involving Matthew Knies never went through.
Rumors about the trade itself are not really new. Almost immediately following this year’s NHL trade deadline, chatter arose that Knies was the mystery trade that Kent Hughes had alluded to.
And given the latest details, the return for Knies was a massive overpay. According to insider Jeff Marek, the other piece in the deal was defenseman Bryce Pickford.
So, the return for Knies would have been two first-round picks, Alexander Zharovsky, and Bryce Pickford.
Talk about a massive overpay by the Canadiens.
The Maple Leafs would have kept the two prospects and moved the first-rounders to get help. Add the first-overall pick and other potential free-agent signings, and the Habs would have actually helped a division rival get back on track.
Thankfully, an administrative mess-up derailed the trade.
Perhaps there could be an argument for Zharovsky and Pickford being enough for Knies. But the two additional first-rounders? That’s an insane thought to consider. In fact, it seems almost too crazy to actually be true.
Canadiens Would Have Surrendered Two Intriguing Prospects
The Canadiens would have surrendered two intriguing prospects in this alleged trade.
Let’s start with Zharovsky. The 19-year-old forward can play both wing and center. That makes him a very interesting piece for a team like the Leafs. Toronto is paper-thin down the middle. So, adding a prospect like the Russian forward would have made plenty of sense.
Additionally, the second-round pick from the 2025 NHL Draft’s numbers in the KHL make him look even better. In 59 games this season, the Canadiens’ prospect scored 16 goals and 42 points.
KHL numbers definitely come with a grain of salt. But for a 19-year-old, they’re good.
As for Pickford, the 20-year-old was a third-round pick in 2025. That might not sound overly impressive. But his numbers this season really jump off the page. The blueliner scored 45 goals and 83 points in 55 games in the WHL.
Talk about impressive. And it’s a major reason why the Canadiens’ prospect caught Toronto’s attention. The organization desperately needs a scoring defenseman, and judging from the numbers, Pickford could have been it.
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Habs Top Prospects Weren’t Part of the Discussion
What makes this supposed trade even more intriguing is that the Canadiens’ top two prospects, Michael Hage and David Reinbacher, were not part of the reported return.
The Habs have repeatedly stated that Hage and Reinbacher are off-limits. That’s fair game. And it does sort of explain why the Maple Leafs would have gotten two prospects and two first-rounders. The first-rounders would have gone to Toronto in lieu of Hage and/or Reinbacher.
That said, the Canadiens will likely run into teams asking for Hage and Reinbacher. For instance, if Montreal were serious about Dylan Larkin, the price tag would most assuredly include someone like Hage.
That’s a bridge that the Habs will likely cross when they get to it. For the time being, Canadiens fans should be happy that the Knies trade didn’t happen. While getting a top-six forward like Knies would have been great, the ultimate cost would have been too much to stomach.
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