{"id":536285,"date":"2026-03-14T17:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/536285\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T17:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:11:12","slug":"montreal-offering-michael-hage-for-matthew-knies-is-a-trap-the-maple-leafs-must-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/536285\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal offering Michael Hage for Matthew Knies is a trap the Maple Leafs must avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\t\t\t\t\t \"Toronto <\/p>\n

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

With Montreal supposedly dangling Michael Hage and two first-round picks for Matthew Knies, Brad Treliving needs to hang up the phone before he makes the biggest mistake of his Maple Leafs tenure.<\/p>\n

When reports surfaced that said Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes was pursuing Matthew Knies, it felt like some wild speculation, but with several insiders reporting the same thing it was a little bit more than just hearsay.<\/p>\n

Darren Dreger reported that a package could include prospect Michael Hage, two first-round picks and another prospect or young-NHL ready player.<\/p>\n

However any Knies to Montreal talk was shut down by Elliotte Friedman, but it does make you wonder whether this would be a great way to retool the Maple Leafs quicker than anticipated.<\/p>\n

The Michael Hage irony proves Kent Hughes is playing psychological warfare<\/p>\n

Well, adding a player born in Toronto certainly works, however it’s not like Hage was bleeding blue and white as a kid. His heart has always been with the Canadiens, he’s already bilingual, and makes for a wonderful story in Le Belle Province.<\/p>\n

But as good as he is, Brad Treliving and whoever else is in charge has to avoid trapping themselves in an unwindable situation.<\/p>\n

Hughes knows this, and dangling Hage’s potential to ‘rebuild’ Toronto while adding a sure-thing and future top star in Matthew Knies is feeling like a Hansel and Gretel situation – be careful what you’re walking into Brad.<\/p>\n

Trading the only Maple Leaf with heart to cover for leaders who don’t is a massive mistake<\/p>\n

At only 23 he’s someone who can come in now and impact the lineup both in the regular season and playoffs. For the Maple Leafs, a team who want to be in the thick of things next year, they need him to stick around.<\/p>\n

That value for Hage and the picks is certainly lucrative, but it doesn’t replace the on-ice value Knies brings. Who else on Toronto is going to give you 25+ goals, 60+ points, and 150+ hits while also being 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds?<\/p>\n

Also, for all intents and purposes, Knies is one of the only guys who doesn’t mind scrapping or sticking up for his teammates and with what happened to Auston Matthews and the response there, he might be the only one who cares.<\/p>\n

The Darren Dreger proposal confirms the era of protecting young stars is dead<\/p>\n

If the team wants to save their franchise, getting rid of someone as young and impactful as Knies would be a step backwards. Hage is a great talent but there’s a lot of unknowns, whereas Toronto knows what they are getting with Knies.<\/p>\n

But the fact this package was even floated about at all shows a changing of the guard in the NHL. It doesn’t matter if you’re a burgeoning superstar – this is a business and if you bring in more value than you give than you may be sent elsewhere.<\/p>\n

For Kent Hughes, he’d send Hage 10\/10 times for the chance to get Matthew Knies, but the question remains whether Brad Treliving is smart enough to ignore his offers.<\/p>\n

Previously on Hockey Patrol<\/p>\n

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