Trade talk getting louder, Knies almost a Hab — The Fourth Period
RALEIGH, NC – We are Carolina Hurricanes look to rebound in Game 2 tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final, trade talk across the NHL is starting to build.
With the Montreal Canadiens now regrouping after being knocked out by Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final, there’s work to be done and GM Kent Hughes is already on it.
Aside from finding a new home for veteran fan favourite Brendan Gallagher, the Habs will be looking to add a second-line centre, a top-six winger and a rugged right-shot defenceman this summer.
They almost checked off one box ahead of the trade deadline and while Hughes would not confirm the ‘big trade’ he almost completed ahead of the trade deadline, multiple sources have told TFP the Habs had agreed to a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs for winger Matthew Knies.
As I spoke about on DFO Rundown Insider Edition earlier today, in exchange for Knies, the Canadiens were going to send highly-touted prospect Alexander Zharovsky (whose name I mispronounced in the segment, my apologies), another top prospect and two first-round draft picks to Toronto. Sources also confirmed the second player was not Michael Hage nor David Reinbacher.
According to sources, the Canadiens approached the Leafs late in the day on deadline day about the move, which Toronto accepted, but the Leafs were unable to get the trade filed ahead of the 3pm ET deadline.
Hughes said this week the “significant deal” he tried to complete at the deadline can be revisited this summer, but does John Chayka taking over as GM of the Leafs change things? The Knies move was agreed upon by then-GM Brad Treliving and it is unclear if Chayka will entertain this move.
