- Matthew Knies met Columbus media for the first time a day after the Marchenko trade
- He admitted the nonstop trade talk in Toronto had started to wear on him
- Read below for his full reaction, Chayka’s apology and the press conference video
Matthew Knies isn’t going to miss the trade rumors.
The new Blue Jackets winger spoke with Columbus reporters over video Tuesday, one day after Toronto shipped him out in the six-player Kirill Marchenko trade. He called the move a fresh start and a “breath of fresh air.”
Knies was asked what he’ll remember most about his time with the Maple Leafs.
“I’ll remember the guys, obviously. I love the group of guys we had here,” Knies said. “But again, I’m fired up to go to Columbus and get a fresh start and a breath of fresh air and not have to worry about all that kind of crap over my head for all those trade stuff. And just kind of focus on hockey and focus on the guys in the room and try and win.”
Watch his full introductory press conference video, with Knies joining around the 12:30 mark:
Monday’s deal caught him off guard. Knies said he had just come home from practice Monday, with Toronto’s opener the next night, when the call came a few hours before the opening night roster deadline.
He was asked how he received the news after months of hearing his name.
“With all that was out there, I think it was going to happen sometime in the future, but not this quickly,” Knies said. “Excited to go to Columbus. It was kind of getting old here with all those rumors and stuff, so I’m just glad that’s put to bed.”
Once training camp dragged on, he figured the rumors were behind him.
Maple Leafs GM John Chayka addressed the same subject at his own media availability Tuesday. Chayka was asked how Knies took it, and he said he owed the winger an apology.
“I apologized to him for the noise over the last several months. I don’t think it was necessarily fair to him,” Chayka said. “This was the only thing we seriously considered as a management group. These things happen. He understands.”
Here’s Chayka’s full media availability:
His new team should suit him. Knies talked about joining a forward group built on size and speed.
“I think it was always hell going in to play against these guys, with how strong and fast they are,” he said. “I think that kind of just fits my playing style.”
Physically, he said he’s 100 percent healthy after a summer where he needed extra rest, which cut into his training.
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said the trade went through at 4:59 p.m. ET, one minute before Monday’s deadline. The team went inside his office for the finish:
Knies, 23, put up a career-high 66 points (23 goals, 43 assists) last season and had 160 points in 240 games with Toronto. He carries a $7.75 million cap hit through 2030-31. The Leafs handed Marchenko a six-year, $75 million extension right after the trade.
His Blue Jackets debut comes Thursday at home against the Buffalo Sabres.
