Maple Leafs continue to have more reason to keep Matthew Knies amid trade rumors

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Contract prices around the NHL continue to rocket up.

And that certainly makes it seem like the Toronto Maple Leafs could want to simply keep Matthew Knies rather than trade him amid all the rumors.

The latest deal was a four-year contract that the Philadelphia Flyers gave to Trevor Zegras for $9.125 million per year.

Earlier this offseason, the young phenom Leo Carlsson got $18 million in an offer sheet from the Flyers, which the Ducks matched to keep their center at that record-setting price.

Knies wouldn't be worth $18 million per year, but he's a 23-year old winger with serious talent and physical ability. If he was on the open market, he'd get more than he's making now.

At the moment, he's signed for $7.75 million per year through the 2030-31 season. If he keeps playing as well as he had, and potentially improving as he ages, that'll look like a bargain for most of the length of the contract.

That Knies contract looks better and better by the day https://t.co/G0fzRiNZKy

— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) July 16, 2026

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That could be used as an argument for trading Knies, as well -- he could conceptually garner an even bigger return from another team as his contract looks more and more like a value.

But while the Maple Leafs look for a quick return to contention, it wouldn't make all that much sense to trade Knies at this point.

What are the odds they get the value in return that they already have with Knies on their roster?

Sure, Gavin McKenna's presence makes the wing a bit more crowded in Toronto. But no one is going to complain about having too many valuable forwards on the roster, especially if they keep improving.