Amid the ongoing speculation that the Toronto Maple Leafs will trade their left wing, Matthew Knies, the team's general manager provided an update. The Maple Leafs had another lackluster season and struggled to make it to the playoffs in 2026.

Following that, talks have been about the changes in the team lineup for the upcoming season, and on Friday, while talking to the media on a Zoom call, team manager John Chayka spoke about Knies and downplayed the speculation around his potential trade.

He said the team believes in having younger players, and it's "not probable" to trade 23-year-old Knies.

“The idea that we’re going to improve the roster by moving a top young player," Chayka said. "Anything’s possible; I guess it’s not probable. I think it makes for good writing and good interest for people, but that’s a tough bar to hurdle.”

In the last season, Knies had played in 79 regular-season games and added 66 points. He had 23 goals and assisted 43. That was comparatively a better score than his season earlier in 2024–25, in which he recorded 58 points with 29G/29A.

It was his fourth season with the Maple Leafs, and with the general manager providing an update, fans will likely see him staying with the team in the upcoming season. However, the Leafs had made changes to their team recently.

Maple Leafs confirm sign-and-trade deal for Darren Raddysh

The Maple Leafs have added a new defenseman to the team ahead of the new season. They have a sign-and-trade deal for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh.

John Chayka had a press conference on Friday to announce the move. It was made with the Leafs losing fifth-round picks to the Bolts for the 2026 NHL draft.

Speaking of the deal, Chayka called it an "organization win."

“It came together pretty quickly," Chayka said. "Free agency is only available to those who make it there. We had a Plan A, B and C, but Darren being the top free agent, we felt very strongly about Plan A. It’s an organizational win.”

Raddysh is coming to the Leafs with five seasons of experience in the league. In his last season, he recorded 70 points in 73 games, adding 22 goals and 48 assists.

The Leafs missed the playoffs last season, so it will be interesting to see how things unfold for them in the upcoming season.

What do you think about the Darren Raddysh sign-and-trade deal with the Leafs? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Ankita Yadav

Edited by

Ankita Yadav