NHL Rumor Mill – April 16, 2026
Check out the latest on Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies, Predators forward Steven Stamkos, and Canadiens winger Ivan Demidov in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE LATEST MATTHEW KNIES SPECULATION
THE ATHLETIC: Jonas Siegel, Chris Johnston, and James Mirtle recently examined the fall of the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.
Part of their examination was on the Maple Leafs’ efforts to make moves before last month’s trade deadline. Among them were conversations that management reportedly had with the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres involving Leafs winger Matthew Knies.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matthews Knies (NHL Images).
Those discussions continued up to the deadline, “with marquee Canadiens and Sabres prospects in play.” They noted that Keith Pelley, the CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, “later lauded the young talent of both rivals, and in doing so named several young trade targets”.
Those players were Michael Hage, Adam Engstrom, Jacob Fowler, and David Reinbacher of the Canadiens, and Konsta Helenius and Radim Mrtka of the Sabres.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Following the deadline, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said he was involved in talks for a potential blockbuster that didn’t get done in time for the deadline. He didn’t say who the player and the team were, but he didn’t rule out revisiting those discussions in the offseason.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos was the first to report that Knies was believed to be the Maple Leaf that the Canadiens were interested in. Subsequent reports claimed those discussions were brief and didn’t go anywhere, while others disputed the rumors that Hughes was indeed pursuing Knies.
This latest report isn’t stating that the Canadiens and Sabres were pitching those players for Knies. They could be the ones that the Leafs were interested in, not the ones being offered up.
We also don’t know if Knies will be available once the Maple Leafs hire their new general manager, if he was even available at all. Kypreos’ colleague, Elliotte Friedman, said before the deadline that the Leafs may have floated his name to gauge what return he might fetch.
Pelley insisted that the Maple Leafs will be retooling instead of rebuilding. If so, Knies would be a valuable part of their roster moving forward.
STEVEN STAMKOS FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN NASHVILLE
THE TENNESSEAN: Alex Daugherty reports Steven Stamkos is disappointed that the Nashville Predators didn’t qualify for the postseason.
Despite the club’s improvement this season, including his reaching the 40-goal plateau, the 36-year-old forward believes this season was a failure because they didn’t make the playoffs.
Stamkos could be facing an uncertain future after this season. The Predators are searching for a replacement for outgoing general manager Barry Trotz. Stamkos felt his future in Nashville would depend on the new GM’s intentions, whether they want to rebuild and move out the older players or retain them and retool the roster.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stamkos return to 40-goal form this season made him a frequent subject of media chatter leading up to last month’s trade deadline. He squealched most of it by repeatedly saying he had no intention of waiving his no-movement clause.
Stamkos has two more seasons left on his contract with an average annual value of $8 million. His NMC is for the duration of his contract. However, he might be willing to waive it this summer if the incoming GM intends to rebuild.
WHAT WILL IVAN DEMIDOV’S NEXT CONTRACT LOOK LIKE?
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: In a recent mailbag segment, Stu Cowan was asked what Ivan Demidov’s next contract would look like with the Canadiens’ current internal salary-cap hierarchy.
Demidov has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract. The 20-year-old winger can sign an extension starting on July 1.
Noah Dobson is the highest-paid Canadien with an average annual value of $9.5 million. Lane Hutson will be the next highest starting next season at $8.85 million. Cowan thinks Demidov’s next contract will come in somewhere between those two, possibly around $9 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens’ front office has done a brilliant job of getting their promising young stars under reasonable long-term contracts, locking them up for most of their best years. With the salary cap rising substantially, they will have sufficient cap room moving forward to make additions as required through trades and free agency.
The Leafs embarrassed themselves the last 30 games what kind of organization promotes not trying and losing. If they are truly that bad then they must blow it up and start over. This organization cares only about the bottom line which is important but winning is also important.
As a Sens fan, I actually don’t believe they were trying to tank. They have an absolutely horrible roster who don’t have any connection. Even if they get Mackenna that roster currently built won’t come back from a season like this IMO. When Mathews went down and there was no response, it just showed that the team has no heart. Their defense is in shambles, their forwards with the exception of Knies and Tavares are sub par, so I think what we saw in the last 30 is just a reflection of a really bad team. Personally as a fan of a team in the same division as Toronto and Bruins
I’d rather see the Leafs keep that pick than seeing Boston get it because Boston is a much better team and would make it harder for the Sens to come out on top in the next few seasons.
Obe you know this team the best here. You never say anything outlandish and always on point. I guess one can say, you’re the type of fellow that sees a leaking faucet in his kitchen and immediately starts to renovate his whole kitchen. No one can argue the winning does not boost the bottom line more than anything else.
The Penguins and Oilers come to mind.
Obe. Was goal to keep pick? They’re currently sitting at the 5 spot. If nobody jumps them in lottery, then mission accomplished. Feel like Florida did same, having top 10 protected pick.
You gotta wonder now that Treliving is gone & Leafs in bad need of futures, would they trade that #5 for a huge package of young prospects & picks. How about Vegas 2026 1st & 2027 1st, a few 2nd rounders this year, Zary(retention possible) maybe some of our decent prospects we have could fill some cupboards for Leafs for that #5 pick. I guess Leafs could get a good player at #5 but the cupboards are bare. Same as Florida. I see Conroy having lots of dialogue with both Leafs & Panthers at the draft.
Tanking is a fan concept not a management one, generational players don’t come around every year.
The “bottom line” for teams is all about seats in the stands, playoffs return the biggest profit as players aren’t paid.
Athletes at every level are born competitors and have a need to win (whether they achieve ir not is a different matter) and the best ones hate to lose.
TML fans have had a decade of exciting hockey with great players that many franchises would love to have. While Habs have had more playoff success in the past decade, the TML have been a far better team.
They’re down already, why pile on???
Maybe because Leaf fans are, justifiably, frustrated after a decade of failure? Need their playoff record be referenced?
So called piling on is fan engagement. If fans were indifferent to the mess that is the Leafs, then the franchise would be in trouble.
I agree.
At the start of the season, while I did express my doubts that any combination of players they had brought in over the off-season could even come close to making up Marner’s lost 100 points, and that that could see them drop back a bit in the Conference/Division, I never for one second thought it would amount to THAT much of a drop.
It certainly didn’t help when both Stolarz and Woll lost time to early injuries, along with their best shot-blocking D, Tanev. Carlo was also gimpy throughout before being shut down late in the season along with Joshua, and losing Matthews the way they did, although again the damage was already too much to overcome by that time.
Before we start to bury them for 2026-27 let’s at least wait and see who they bring in as GM and whether or not they’ll give him full rein to make whatever moves deemed necessary to turn things around. It shouldn’t take long before changes start to be made, beginning at draft time.
Unless the Leafs acquire a first round pick this year they start drafting late in the season round via Buffalo, George.
Yes, grading a team for next year now is silly, but let’s be clear: with the likes of Nylander and, more importantly, Pelly, saying retool not rebuild it’s unlikely the Leafs are going to improve much for a few years.
I fully agree there, which is one reason why I suggest waiting until we see who they hire, what or – how much – authority he’ll have going forward, including making such a decision.
I am on record saying last season they will decline and could miss the playoffs, so I’m off by a year.
I also agreed that scapegoating Marner was foolish and that what they brought in to replace him didn’t measure up….many had that opinion.
I’m not a TML fan by any means I just don’t like these assertions of tanking and nit caring.
We all know about winning cultures but are fuzzy sometimes about a losing culture.
With all the *stuff* floating around about the TML it’s hard to know from the outside what’s really going on but I kind of feel bad for the fanbase.
The ownership/management/hype machine could get lost in one fell sweep for all I care.
I just do not see Buffalo making such a move at the trade deadline. They finally have made playoffs, with a squad that was below .500 on November 1. Making a significant move just does not make sense, especially with the salary cap challenges they have coming up this summer.
They have a glut of goaltenders, not marquee keepers but good backups. A trade for Ellis or Levi may be in their future.
“with marquee Canadiens and Sabres prospects in play.”
Marquee prospects? Wait what?
Here are the odds I have been seeking as per Leafs finishing 28th and securing a top 5 pick , as per the upcoming 2026 lottery draft which takes place on May 5
Drafting 1st overall – 8.5 %
2nd – 8.5 %
3rd. – .3 %
4th. – 0 %
5th – 41.9 %
56.2- 58.1 % – Drops out of the top 5 – Boston gets their pick
This formula makes little sense to me ..
Does anyone have an input
These are the results I came up with , as per the Leafs drafting within the top 5 picks of this years draft
Drafting 1st – 8.5 %
2nd 8.5 %
3rd .3 %
4th 0^
5th 41.9%
These stats make No sense to me – Foes anyone have any input
As per the chances the Islanders drafting within the top 5 last year – the odds were 3.5 %
We all know what the outcome was …..
Leafs get a top 2 pick and Matthews stays…..
BTW, Leafs held locker cleanout day today, yeah it was early this year.
Matthews on his future: “I can’t predict the future […] They have to hire new leadership at management and stuff like that. So, I don’t really know. Like I said, I can’t predict the future.”
Correction as per my first comment
The chances the Leafs pick 5 th overall are 24.5%
The over all chances of Leafs picking in the top 5 are 41.9%
Which is even more devastating
Drafting 26 – 15.4 %
27 – 13.5 %
Bottom teams record last 10 games
Rangers 6-4
Devils 5-4-1
Florida 5-4-1
St. Louis 6-3-1
Winnipeg 5-5
Chicago 2-7-1
Vancouver 4-6
Calgary 3-5-2
Leafs 2-7-1 Last 40 games 13-20-7
Seems to me with that roster they could have been at least 500 team.
P.S go bruins go and have to renovate the kitchen now
I like Michael Knies but if Michael Hage, Adam Engstrom, Jacob Fowler, and David Reinbacher were the trade targets- hard pass from me.
The only one I’d include in a trade is Adam Engstrom.
David Reinbacher has been hidden on account of injuries but watching him in Laval and a couple of games recently with the Habs, the kid is for real.
I agree.
But the Habs need to upgrade in a few positions, notably on their second line. Given the lack of good UFAs this summer, letting go of someone seems inevitable. Not sure draft picks would do it alone.
habfan30
Regarding the Habs prospects you’ve mentioned above…would you trade any of them for a Stanley Cup?
You’re saying you wouldn’t trade any of them for a 6’4” proven power forward signed for the next 7 years at a $7.75AAV? If Knies is on MTL second line they’re a much harder team to play against.
Only one of those prospects has played NHL minutes and that’s Fowler. A goalie that the Leafs don’t need. There have been plenty of prospects that have had excellent NCAA careers that didn’t amount to much.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
The answer to this is yes… many mont fans are so enamored of the rebuild process they are willing to watch the cup window pass right under their nose. If you could trade any two players listed above for a young power forward in knies in your cup window you do it.
Fair point, Daryl. But from a Habs perspective Hage oozes promise, and Reinbacher is the elusive RHD, so both are coveted positions. The Leafs would boost their “re” whatever they call it, for a first round or two, plus prospects other than those two. Dobson was obtained for two firsts and Heineman, after all.
And Chrisms, one more time, please. The Habs are the second youngest team in the NHL. They are the underdogs against Tampa. Their Cup window hasn’t opened yet.
Daryl,
I said I would trade 1 of the prospects that were named, Adam Engstrom in a package, not any of the other 3 that were named.
Your premise that Knies brings the Habs a Stanley Cup is one I don’t buy into. He is an upgrade on who is there now but Newhook scored at the same pace on the 2nd line and he missed a ton of time with a broken ankle and came back flying.
I’d like to see how Jared Davidson and Florian Xhekajdo in AHL playoffs and Hab summer camp.
The Habs aren’t SC ready, they need a few more pieces and a taste of playoff blood to learn what they need to learn.
You gotta wonder now that Treliving is gone & Leafs in bad need of futures, would they trade that #5 for a huge package of young prospects & picks. How about Vegas 2026 1st & 2027 1st, a few 2nd rounders this year, Zary(retention possible) maybe some of our decent prospects we have could fill some cupboards for Leafs for that #5 pick. I guess Leafs could get a good player at #5 but the cupboards are bare. Same as Florida. I see Conroy having lots of dialogue with both Leafs & Panthers at the draft.
Potlicker, from 2018 to 2026, the Dubas-Treleving combination managed to trade away 36 picks, 7 of them 1st rounders. That alone has elements of Leafs Nation seething, so I doubt very much they’d have the stomach to start off the tenure of whoever becomes GM by dealing away a potential top 5 pick that could evolve into a 1st overall with any kind of luck. Bad luck being, as noted in Koshan’s column in the Toronto Sun this morning “if a team higher than Toronto in the standings wins the draft lottery on May 5, the Leafs will be knocked out of the top five and the first-round pick will go to the Boston Bruins.”
Hey George! Im assuming that Leafs stay at that #5 pick. First shelf in the draft is 1 & 2 & then the next shelf seems to be 3-8. After the low 20’s, it seems like there could be a lot of variance from the twenties right thru to high forties. Leafs wont have their 1st round pick next year or in 2028 if they keep their 5th. If they dont want to rebuild they can get some pretty nice futures trading that pick away. Whoever they pick wont be NHL ready for a couple of years. Just saying, this unexpected finish could result in a treasure chest of futures versus getting one good NHLer. They’re in a real tough position. Agree though, Florida more likely to trade their pick before the Leafs.
habfan30. LJ
When you have a few players having career years and everything seems to fall into place I think you need to make tough decisions.
You can’t expect to get a player like Knies, a proven power forward, for your team’s third of fourth best prospect.
Yes, Hage oozes promise. He’s already committed to play another season in Michigan so the earliest he can join the NHL is 2027/28 season. Reinbacher is the elusive RHD. However, his AHL numbers aren’t eye opening. 24 points this year in 57 AHL games. As you mentioned, they already have Dobson. They have Hutson (LHD) as well so I think they’re pretty set on D for tre foreseeable future.
I heard rumours that the Habs were trying to get Hischier from NJ and that was the sticking point to why they turned away from Knies.
The Canadiens prospect pool is deep enough that had they sacrificed Hage and Engstrom (or Reinbacher) they would be much closer to being a contender than they are now. They also still have their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks in this year’s draft to replenish the lost prospects involved in any Knies trade.
As much as it hurts to admit, Montreal management is doing an excellent job building a team that should be very competitive for years to come.
While we’re at it, let’s not forget Suzuki’s AAV of $7.875m., Caufield’s at $7.85 and Slafkovsky’s at $7.6m., all of which look like absolute bargains right now.
Habs have the best management tandem in hockey.
In HuGo we trust.
The Leafs already have an analytics guy on staff and they don’t need another. Analytics have the part to play but they should supplement,not replace, guys with hockey sense. I believe they should hire Mark Hunter as general manager,though he may not want the job after being passed over 3 times for GM.Then he should hire Dale Hunter as coach.They have proven that they know how to win
Disagree completely. The Leafs are the victim of the Toronto media and the army of podcasters who chased Shanahan out of town despite obvious success building a playoff contender. They also targeted Sheldon Keefe as a scapegoat for not leading the team to playoff success. Soon it was time to target their leading scorer as the problem, and for 2 seasons, they blamed him and pushed him away.
Treliving had no serious chance to add anything equal to what the leafs had lost, and without Marners, Matthews had to work far harder to score goals, he also had to spend much more time focused on his defensive game.
Long story short – rather than build upon the foundation of a play-off contender, the team wasted 4 seasons dismantling it with risky moves that had a very low chance of improving the team.
Pressure killed the Leafs’ season this year.
Pressure on Treliving to pull several “rabbits” out of his hat with free-agency. Pressure in Matthews to fill 3 important roles Captain, Top scorer, and if we are being honest, he was expected to also replace Marner’s contribution while trying to stay healthy.
The total insanity of the media in Toronto is that now they are trying to focus once again on scapegoats. “Who to blame?” Who to dump?” and little honesty in accepting that this team played short-handed almost al season after last years moves.
The only move that makes sense now if try to get healthy, try to add some legit help in free-agency. and the draft…but DO NOT try to trade a star player for multiple assets at a time when their value is far lower than normal.
How bad is it? The media pressure? Click-hungry media like Kypreos trying to ressurrect talk about trading Knies 2 months after some trade rumors went no-where? When you don’t have the managerial experience to follow a plan, you end-up with panic adjustments based on mob-decision-making.
Looking forward to the Leafs picking a solid hockey guy as President . and choosing a solid GM or GM team, to start making real hockey moves.
All this BS today with media trying to spark controversy over Matthews being unable to predict a future without even knowing who will be in charge this = summer. No sign of the click-bait crowd letting the Hockey minds choose a path.
Good one. And I agree completely. As I say elsewhere, the media should keep their yaps shut and wait until they hire a GM – and give him some time to assess if he’d be better off with a coach of his choice … which he probably won’t take long to make one way or another – and then meet with his scouts and minor-league coaching to decide the best route to pursue – re-tooling or make moves to kick-start a re-build. Neither choice should be made a condition of his hiring by some schmuck in the ownership “committee.”
One guy they can’t hire is Sunny Mehta, the AGM in Florida for their two Cups. He’s been hired by New Jersey.
https://www.facebook.com/NHL/posts/the-new-jersey-devils-have-hired-new-jersey-raised-sunny-mehta-as-their-new-gene/1411536931022053/
Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov To Play At World Championship