Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is scheduled for Friday, June 26th, and teams have already been making a flurry of trades leading up to it. One team that hasn’t got into the action as of yet, but has a history of doing so right around the draft, is the Montreal Canadiens. In this edition of NHL Rumours, we focus on the Canadiens’ interest in bolstering their secondary scoring this offseason by revisiting a potential trade that fell through right before the trade deadline.
NHL Rumours: Canadiens Revisiting Trade for Leafs Forward
Rumour: David Pagnotta mentions that the Montreal Canadiens have multiple irons in the fire leading up to the draft. One of those is their interest in acquiring Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
What a wild day so far, and more is coming! @NHL_AaronWard, @DennisTFP, @RyanMPaton & I dive into the latest trade chatter after 3 big deals already today in our coverage, presented by @Ozoon_CA. We touch on Robertson, Babcock, Nurse, Hellebuyck, McTavish, Habs, Hill, LA + more! pic.twitter.com/ohxdcSatsX
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 23, 2026
Analysis: The Canadiens attempted to acquire Matthew Knies prior to this year’s trade deadline; however, the rumour was that the Leafs never submitted the agreed-upon trade in time. Now, under a new regime, the Canadiens are doing their due diligence and circling back on the power forward. While it seems strange that the Leafs would even want to move Knies, we keep hearing more and more noise from multiple insiders suggesting he’s on his way out. Knies is on an outstanding contract with a cap hit of $7.75 million until 2031. Given this deal, to go along with the fact that he’s just 23 years old and already has multiple 20-goal seasons under his belt, it will likely take a lot to pry him out of Toronto.
Knies is a Perfect Fit for the Canadiens
For the Canadiens, Knies makes perfect sense. Their secondary scoring needs to be addressed, and that was evident during their Eastern Conference Final loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canadiens were dominated in that series, and they couldn’t find a way to generate any offence whatsoever. While the biggest need the Canadiens have would be a number two centre to play behind Nick Suzuki, a scoring winger to also play on that second line next to Demidov would be the next thing they need. Hence the interest in Knies. Knies has seen his point totals rise every year since he entered the league. He jumped from 35, to 58, to 66 last season and has become a premier power forward in today’s game. Knies would be the perfect winger to complement ,Ivan Demidov, and if the Canadiens could secure a proper number two centre to go in between them, they could have one of the most dangerous top six forward groups in the entire league.
Knies Trade Incoming?
While there’s still the possibility that Knies stays in Toronto, signs continue to point toward his exit. And if that’s the case, the Montreal Canadiens will be right in the mix. They clearly still have a chip on their shoulder after missing out on him at the deadline. Knies would solidify the Canadiens offence and drastically improve their scoring, which is much needed outside the top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. While the package to acquire Knies isn’t known under this regime, the Canadiens certainly have all the pieces to do so regardless.
History has shown us that Kent Hughes loves to make a trade during the draft. He has done so every year since he’s been the general manager of the Canadiens, so we should expect no different this year. The question is, what does he see as the best use of his assets? Is it to address the hole at centre behind Suzuki, or a big scoring winger to play with Demidov? This will be something to keep an eye on over the next few days leading up to the draft.
Main Photo: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
