The St. Louis Blues will be looking to upgrade this summer. There’s no question about that. The organization won’t be sitting idly, waiting for things to somehow change this summer.
And if there’s a deal to be made out there, the Blues could very well make a splash. Now, one potential deal out there is Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies. The 24-year-old power forward is on the cusp of becoming a 30-goal scorer. Even with Toronto’s awful season this past year, Knies put 23 goals and 66 points in 79 games.
That said, he could be on the market. There was talk that he was available at the NHL trade deadline, almost getting moved. That’s an opportunity the Blues could capitalize on. In a separate piece, I wrote about the cost that it would take for any team wanting to land Knies. The price tag came from comments by Toronto-area sportscaster Nick Kypreos.
Those comments got me thinking that the Blues could be a potential suitor. Kypreos made the point that the Leafs would be looking for a top-pairing defenseman, a first-round pick, and a secondary piece. In particular, Kypreos underscored that the Leafs would be interested in a pick somewhere around 10th, 11th, or 12th.
Well, it just so happens the Blues have the 11th pick. Could the Blues be willing to pull the trigger on a deal for Knies?
If we dig a little deeper, St. Louis certainly has the pieces. Let’s break down the pieces Kypreos talked about.
Maple Leafs want top-pairing D
First, the Maple Leafs want a top-pairing D. The Blues could spare one in Colton Parayko. There’s a good chance that the 33-year-old would waive his no-trade clause to go to Toronto, at least that’s the assumption. Toronto might ask for Philip Broberg, but the price tag could settle on Parayko.
Leafs also want a first-round pick
Then, there’s the first-round pick. The Blues have three this season. So, sending the 11th pick wouldn’t be so bad, as the club still has the 15th and 29th picks. That’s sort of the idea of having multiple picks. Eventually, the team could weaponize a couple to get back valuable pieces.
Then there’s the secondary piece to talk about
Lastly, there’s the “secondary” piece. That’s where it gets a bit tricky. The ask by Toronto at this point would likely be a prospect. I would see Toronto GM John Chayka as for Otto Stenberg. He’s the sort of forward prospect the Leafs don’t have, and the kind of player that the team could use as part of their “retool.”
That said, the Blues would be foolish to let Stenberg go, even as good as Knies is. Ideally, the Leafs would be willing to take someone back like Pius Suter.
But wouldn’t Jordan Kyrou be an intriguing option? Yes, the Maple Leafs would certainly balk at Kyrou’s cap hit. But the selling point would be that the 28-year-old could help offset some of the scoring that Knies provided.
If the Leafs were somehow willing to take Kyrou, that alone would make this seal a home run. The Blues were looking to move on from Parayko anyway, and the first-round pick would just be the cost of doing business.
The Blues would essentially replace Kyrou with Knies and gain $6.5 million in cap space that could be utilized to round out the blue line in other ways.
Who knows if this deal actually has any legs? But it’s an intriguing option to consider, should it arise.
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