Details of failed blockbuster draft day trade involving Matthew Knies and Blackhawks revealed
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
When Toronto turned down Chicago's offer for Matthew Knies, the Blackhawks found another use for pick four.
They traded it to Buffalo for Bowen Byram, a 25-year-old defenseman coming off a 42-point season, plus Jordan Greenway and a second-round pick.
The market immediately answered the question Toronto's front office had already settled internally.
Per Frank Seravalli, Chicago had the fourth overall pick on the table in Knies conversations, but the Toronto Maple Leafs demanded a roster player plus additional pieces beyond it.
Seravalli was direct: if Toronto was going to move Knies, the return would have to be an absolute haul.
"Chicago was a team that had [4th overall] on the table in a conversation for Matt Knies, but the Leafs wanted a roster player plus plus on top of #4."
- Frank Seravalli
- Frank Seravalli
The Maple Leafs walked away. Chicago turned around and gave that same pick to Buffalo specifically to acquire a veteran defenseman.
That is not a coincidence.
The Blackhawks confirmed Toronto's logic
Kyle Davidson's front office just showed the rest of the league what pick four was worth on the open market: an established, veteran defenseman plus additional assets.
Toronto general manager John Chayka had asked for exactly that combination. He got called stubborn for it.
Davidson proved him right. Trading a premium pick for a roster player is not an overpay when that is what the market demands for one - Chayka knew it, and Chicago's own transaction confirmed it.
The Knies asking price was never unreasonable. It was simply accurate.
Dallas and the Robertson collapse
A second path existed through the Dallas Stars, who planned to flip pick seven - acquired from Seattle in a Jason Robertson sign-and-trade - to Toronto as part of a Knies package.
Robertson had reportedly been offered eight years and $120 million by Seattle before declining.
Once he said no, Dallas never received the pick, and the entire chain collapsed.
Both routes fell apart for reasons outside Chayka's control. Neither failure suggests Knies was mispriced.
The next team to call Leafs management already knows the minimum this deal will cost.
That floor is set, and it is not moving.
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