NHL Rumor Mill – March 13, 2026
The latest trade speculation regarding Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies and updates on several of this summer’s notable UFAs in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE MATTHEW KNIES RUMORS KEEP CHURNING
TORONTO SUN: Terry Koshan weighed in on the recent rumors linking Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies to the Montreal Canadiens.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matthews Knies (NHL Images).
Koshan observed that it hasn’t been reported how serious those rumored discussions were. He acknowledged the Maple Leafs need to restock with young players, prospects, and draft picks.
However, Koshan believes the Maple Leafs need the 23-year-old Knies as part of their plans, pointing out the scarcity of power forwards with age on their side. He believes whoever is in charge of the Leafs after this season needs to take a hard look at the core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly and decide whether that group can lead the club to playoff success.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Maple Leafs have had eight seasons with that core. They’ve won two playoff series. That should tell you all you need to know about whether they can lead the Leafs to postseason success.
TVA SPORTS: Jean-Charles Lajoie considers Knies to be a cleaner version of Washington Capitals power forward Tom Wilson. However, he’s skeptical whether the Canadiens will be able to land him.
Lajoie doesn’t see the Canadiens parting with top prospect Michael Hage. Parting with promising winger Alexander Zharovsky seems plausible, but keeping him while fostering internal competition seems appealing. He also pointed out that Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving could lose his job after this season, and his replacement likely won’t part with Knies.
THE ATHLETIC: James Mirtle believes the only Knies trade that would make sense is if he fetches a return that adds an elite center (such as Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues) or an excellent defenseman.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Knies-to-Montreal provided a buzz not normally seen in the week after the NHL trade deadline. He would certainly be a great fit among the Canadiens’ top-six forwards, and he could fetch a return of promising young assets if the Maple Leafs begin to rebuild.
Knies will likely be a key part of the Maple Leafs’ plans, whatever they may be. Their asking price would begin with Hage, and that’s a non-starter for the Canadiens. If the Leafs fire Treliving, his successor will likely retain Knies.
UFA UPDATES
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch is the biggest name remaining in this year’s unrestricted free-agent market after Nick Schmaltz signed a contract extension with the Utah Mammoth earlier this week.
The Sabres want to re-sign Tuch, and they are continuing to work on it. LeBrun believes the 29-year-old winger could seek a deal comparable to the $10.63 million AAV signed by Adrian Kempe with the Los Angeles Kings last fall. However, the Sabres could counter with the $8 million AAV that Schmaltz will receive from the Mammoth starting next season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: They could meet in the middle for around $9.25 million. If not, the thin UFA market ensures Tuch will get what he wants elsewhere.
LeBrun also addressed why the Vegas Golden Knights haven’t re-signed Rasmus Andersson yet. They acquired the 28-year-old defenseman from the Calgary Flames in January.
The reason is that the Golden Knights have only $3.2 million in projected salary-cap space for 2026-27 because they still have to carry the $8.8 million cap hit of sidelined defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.
They can free up sufficient cap room in the offseason by moving salary or placing Pietrangelo on offseason long-term injury reserve.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Andersson will sign with the Golden Knights on July 1. By that time, they’ll have Pietrangelo on offseason LTIR, freeing up the cap space to re-sign him.
The Anaheim Ducks are hoping that recently acquired John Carlson won’t be a playoff rental.
They’re giving the 35-year-old defenseman some time to adjust following his trade from the Washington Capitals. However, the plan is to approach Carlson and his agent at some point to discuss a contract extension.
Carlson is completing an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $8 million. LeBrun thinks a two-year extension makes sense, but he doesn’t see the veteran blueliner taking a pay cut.
LeBrun also cited Darren Raddysh of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 30-year-old defenseman is having a career year. The Lightning hope to keep him and eventually re-sign him.
Leafs need to retain Knies and move on from AM + Rielly, Domi, Joshua and some deadweight on the backend and possibly Nylander. Keep Tavares, and 2-3 of the older D like Tanev and get some young prospects picks and start at least a retool. There are some up and coming teams with picks and prospects that could get Toronto what they need for a start
With a good GM there is no reason why the Leafs cannot readjust and retool quickly. They have to make some big decisions but they still have players on the roster that have value and should not have to sell low to acquire player that help today and the future.
For me though, personally, the turning point was going out and signing JT from the NYI. He was not what the team needed most at the time and adding that contract to the other 3 guys hand cuffed and limited the team in properly addressing other areas.
I wonder how this would have shapped out had they took that money and built their D up? hindsight eh
The best thing Toronto can do for their future is to restock. Trade their top 3-4 players and hope to get lucky in the draft. If they don’t, I would expect them to struggle for the next 5 years or so. They also need a solid management team and coaching staff. 2 months into the season it was obvious the coach needed to go. He’s a really good coach, but not with that type of team. Should be an interesting off season to see what they do to right the ship.
Until the Leafs get some heart, they will continue spinning their wheels.
Take last night’s game for example. Your captain gets run over by an old foe, Radko Gudas. Do Leafs fans recall the same Gudas’ play when he played against the leafs in the playoffs while playing for Florida? Crushed Kampf after a whistle…no retribution. Interfered with Jarnkrok on the series winning goal and screamed in Will’s face…nothing.
6’ 5” Brandon Carlo just stood there while his captain was on the ice.
Where was Domi? He’s used to taking liberties with other players. Where was his response?
Don’t give me this crap about “beating them on the scoreboard” either. This season is OVER.
One only need look to the TB vs Buffalo game the other night. Everyone sticking up for each other.
All for one, one for all. There is none of that on this Leafs team.
Ask every player with a NMC where they’re willing to go, and get rid of them ALL.
Matthews, Nylander, Tavares and Rielly can’t d en lead the team to make the playoffs, let alone do anything else. They are the problem. Knies should be captain. Build around him and discard the useless figure skaters.
I rarely comment on other teams but but I did notice that the Maple Leafs come in at 29th in Scott Wheeler’s 2026 NHL prospect pool rankings. So not only has that core been incapable of deep playoff runs over 8 seasons, the prospect pool is depleted. I think trading Knies would be the beginning of a lengthy rebuild. While keeping Knies would be akin to keeping the wheels on the bus. A tough situation for the Leafs.
Trade them all says the fans that wanted Marner gone…how do you like the team now?
Team building 101…obtain and keep quality players and build around them. Don’t trade or let your best talent walk because “something has to change”…you will never find a replacement player, they just aren’t available.
Ron
Marner wanted out.
He did not like the constant attention. Positive or negative.
Marner couldn’t make plays when it counted. Look at his results in games 5,6, and 7 with the Leafs. Not saying any of the other guys were clutch either but some of the criticism was warranted.
While Matthews, Nylander, and Tavares are good players, they’re almost the same type of players. To win you need guys that can play when the going gets rough.
Look at the Tampa series a few years ago…Stamkos grabs Matthews and starts a fight and there is zero response. Where was Captain Panama Pants to grab Stamkos next shift and return the favour?
It’s like the players on the Leafs want to be liked by everybody, even their opponents.
Ovi has a couple fights. Crosby has a couple fights. So does McDavid. Rookie Easton Cowan has as many fights as Matthews, Nylander, and Tavares put together.
SOFT!
It’s sort of an eerie, “history repeating itself” situation coming out of Toronto … and to illustrate here is what a search of the reactions and comments were back around 2013-14:
“Before Brendan Shanahan was hired as team president in April 2014, public sentiment around the Toronto Maple Leafs was defined by a mix of heartbreak, apathy, and open hostility following years of mismanagement and high-profile collapses. By the 2013–14 season, fan patience had evaporated, leading to unprecedented displays of dissatisfaction at Scotiabank Arena (then Air Canada Centre):
• Jersey Tossing: Frustrated fans began throwing their jerseys onto the ice during play, a gesture described as the “ultimate sign of hockey frustration”.
• Waffle Throwing: An earlier trend involved fans throwing waffles on the ice to protest the team’s “soft” play and lack of morning preparation.
• Public Outcry: Common sentiments on social media and fan forums included pleas to “Clean house and rebuild 100%!” and declarations like “I give up! You are killing me!”.
The “18-Wheeler” Narrative
The most famous characterization of the team came from its own management.
• The Cliff Analogy: Former GM Brian Burke famously described the 2011–12 season’s late-season slide as “akin to an 18-wheeler going right off a cliff”.
• Cyclical Collapse: By March 2014, media outlets noted that the team was “once again an 18-wheeler going right off a cliff,” suffering a season-crushing eight-game losing streak that knocked them out of playoff contention after appearing to be a lock just weeks prior.
Media and Player Reactions
• Game 7 Haunting: Much of the pre-Shanahan commentary focused on the “epic collapse” against the Boston Bruins in the 2013 playoffs, where the Leafs blew a 4–1 third-period lead.
• Roster Criticism: Pundits and former players criticized the roster as “poorly constructed” and “too finesse, too flashy, not tough enough,” noting that the leaders failed to lead when the “ice gets smaller” in the postseason.
• Management Skepticism: Upon Shanahan’s hiring, many were initially skeptical, with some calling the move “stupidity” because he lacked prior management experience or doubting it would truly “change the culture”.
But the house is still full, money is flowing in, the media is all about Toronto, sport reporters talk about Toronto all the time…why I always watch games on mute and never listen to after hours reports…and Mathews is not a captain period…oh yes he was the captain of usa team but the only reason the americans won is Hellybuck…the owners are the ones responsible for the Toronto debacle since 1967
Not entirely Brad’s fault. But pretty similar result as his tenure with the flames.
Toronto fans,at least you have your Blue Jays to look forward to!
Toronto fans,at least you have your Blue Jays to look forward to!
What ever plan toronto management has it’s three years to late. The only thing left to do is take it down to the studs. Lets start with new management that knows what the definition of what a hockey player is. Let stop babying these players. They earn huge salaries and do not care if they lose. I really don’t care about the share holders. It is the people in the stands that i care about. That’ my rant. Have a great day.
Us Leafs fans need to brace for the Bruins and Flyers to each draft superstars with out draft picks the next 2 years.
We gotta get right back to where we started from! Ouuu ouuu!