Matthew Knies is happy to put all the trade chatter behind him.
The Toronto Maple Leafs shipped Knies to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday in a six-player deal involving Kirill Marchenko. Following months of trade rumors, Knies said his departure from Toronto felt "inevitable."
"With all that was out there, I think it was going to happen sometime in the future, but not this quickly," Knies told reporters Tuesday. "Excited to go to Columbus. It was kind of getting old here with all those rumors and stuff, so just glad that's put to bed."
The Maple Leafs reportedly agreed to send Knies to the rival Montreal Canadiens at the 2026 trade deadline, but the deal was submitted one minute too late. The Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, and Utah Mammoth were apparently among the other teams to show serious interest in Knies before the deadline.
However, the deadline rumors were under Toronto's previous regime, led by general manager Brad Treliving. John Chayka was hired to replace him in May.
Chayka said Tuesday that Marchenko was the only player the Maple Leafs seriously considered moving Knies for under his watch.
"I apologized to (Knies) for the noise over the last several months," Chayka said. "I don't think it was necessarily fair to him. This was the only thing we seriously considered as a management group. These things happen. He understands."
Knies had spent his entire four-year career in Toronto since the Maple Leafs drafted him in the second round in 2021. In June 2025, the club signed him to a six-year, $46.5-million extension. With a unique blend of physicality and offensive prowess, and zero trade protection, Knies ultimately became Toronto's best trade chip.
Knies, who turns 24 in October, has tallied 124 points in 157 games over the last two seasons. Marchenko, who turned 26 in July, has accumulated 141 points in 155 games over the same span.
Despite similar production, Chayka said he believes in Marchenko's game-breaking ability.
"There's a lot of good players in the NHL, very few that can impact winning and can single-handedly dictate outcomes of games. We believe Kirill is one of those players for us," Chayka said. "You've got to give up quality to get quality."
Marchenko will reportedly play in Toronto's season opener Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. The Blue Jackets open their campaign Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.
