‘I’m fortunate that I’m still here’: Leafs’ Matthew Knies on surviving trade rumors

It was an offseason of change for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After committing to a new management group, which includes John Chayka as general manager and Leafs legend Mats Sundin as senior executive advisor, the team named Jim Hiller as the franchise’s 41st head coach, drafted highly touted winger Gavin McKenna first overall, and added several players via trade and free agency, including defenseman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky from the Florida Panthers.

There was one big move, however, that the Leafs refrained from making.

Leafs winger Matthew Knies was the subject of trade rumors for much of the summer. The speculation kicked into high gear in June when it was reported that Toronto nearly sent Knies to the Montreal Canadiens ahead of last season’s trade deadline for a package of picks and prospects. Rumors persisted into the offseason, with the notion that the 23-year-old power forward was the one young, attractive piece the Leafs could offer to make significant additions to their roster.

Ultimately, the Leafs chose to keep Knies, and he will once again be a prominent member of their top-six forward group.

On Tuesday, Knies joined Daily Faceoff Toronto‘s Nick Alberga for an interview, in which he discussed the experience of seeing his name get floated in trade rumors.

“I try not to look into it too much,” Knies said. “I’m not blind to it. I see it every now and then with my buddies sending it to me and stuff. All that stuff, it’s cliche to say, but it’s really out of my control. I didn’t have any say as to what was going on, so I’m fortunate that I’m still here and that I’m a part of this group because I love these guys. I’m just happy that I’m still wearing the blue and white and that I get a chance to play for the Leafs next season.”

Knies is coming off a career year last season, in which he put up 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points in 79 games.