Matthew Knies is relieved to still be a Toronto Maple Leaf after being heavily involved in trade speculation throughout the offseason.
"I try not to look into it too much," Knies said Tuesday, per Daily Faceoff's Nick Alberga. "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."
Former Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving was reportedly one minute too late in attempting to deal Knies to the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline in March. Toronto fired Treliving weeks later, but Knies' name continued to circulate in trade rumors over the summer as the club introduced a new front office led by GM John Chayka.
The Maple Leafs selected Knies in the second round of the 2021 draft. He registered a career-high 66 points in 79 games last season but was also a team-worst minus-30 as Toronto failed to make the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
Knies is under contract through 2031 at a cap hit of $7.75 million.
