Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs And Matthews Had Priorities; Knies Found Out the Hard Way What They Are

Auston Matthews was close with Matthew Knies, but not close enough to stop a trade that saw Knies moved for Marchenko.

by
NHL Trade Talk
October 1, 2026

According to a report by The Fourth Period, Auston Matthews was on board with the trade involving Matthew Knies and Kirill Marchenko. A surprising deal that saw the Leafs trade a big part of their core, Toronto went with the skilled sniper over the grittier power forward. Knies noted he was surprised by the deal, but not shocked given trade talk had hung over him most of the summer.

Apparently, Matthews knew in advance that this trade was a possibility and despite saying publicly how much Knies will be missed, the Maple Leafs captain was excited about the opportunity to play with a player of Marchenko’s caliber.

Matthews told media after the trade, “He’s a very unique player, one of the more popular, well-liked guys in the room. He’s got a great personality, a big personality, loves to joke around, great teammate.” He added, “We’re gonna miss him. It’s the tough part of the business… we’re super happy to welcome Kirill here, and I think he’s gonna do very good things for us.”

As much as Matthews was a fan of Knies, the idea of adding Marchenko was too good not to support. One could argue that friendship and popularity didn’t overrule the chance to win. It might even help with Matthews ‘ personal production. Marchenko is a pretty good passer, so he’s going to be a threat to score and feed Matthews, who is looking to bounce back after a down 2025-267 season.

Daily Faceoff also reports that the Maple Leafs really thought about Matthews when they made this trade. In part, it might have been both a short- and a long-term play. “If they were going to trade a young guy like Knies, they were going to get someone back who he was thrilled about, like Marchenko. A lot of the moves Toronto has made and will continue to make are about appeasing their top guys.”

You have to know that Matthews was approached about the idea, and it sounds like he gave the green light to it.

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