Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka is keeping his options open ahead of Friday’s NHL Draft in which the Maple Leafs are slated to pick first overall.
In a media availability on Thursday to introduce newly-hired head coach Jim Hiller, Chayka also spoke on the team’s plans for the draft, saying “We’ve had discussions on every pick in the top 10 outside of [our own].”
He expanded on the statement, saying “We have explored [trading into the top 10] and understand it. If you can add two players from the same age group in that part of that draft, as a premise, that’s interesting.”
This draft is Chayka’s first with the Maple Leafs since he was hired to replace Brad Treliving in April. He previously spent four seasons as the GM of the Arizona Coyotes.
The Maple Leafs are widely expected to use the top pick on Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, but given the activity around some of the other top picks in the draft - the Chicago Blackhawks traded away the fourth-overall pick earlier in the week, and the San Jose Sharks have been openly shopping the second-overall selection - it would behoove the Maple Leafs to explore all options.
There have been rumours floating surrounding two prominent players on the Maple Leafs roster - forward Matthew Knies and defenceman Morgan Rielly, who is the longest-tenured member of the team.
Chayka said at the press conference that he doesn’t anticipate trading the 32-year-old Rielly, who has spent every year of his 13-year career in Toronto, but he spoke more openly about the prospect of trading the 23-year-old Knies.
“[Knies] is an elite power forward in the prime of his career [on a contract] that we think allows us to build a great team around him,” Chayka said. “Ultimately, though, my job is to try to make the team better. Like every other player, we’ll have discussions and we’ll evaluate things,” he added. “But there’s nothing as I stand here today that I think makes us a better team.”
Knies broke out in a big way in the 2024-25 season, scoring a career-high 29 goals in 78 games before tallying a career-high 66 points in 79 games last season.
The Maple Leafs won the top pick in the draft lottery after finishing 32-36-14 and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign. They will enter next season with a new head coach and GM, and have a chance on Friday to add significant prospects.
