Leafs almost passed on Matthew Knies at 2021 NHL draft

SIMMONS SAYS: Leafs were close to passing on Matthew Knies at 2021 NHL draft Get the latest from Steve Simmons straight to your inbox Sign Up Photo by Emilee Chinn / Getty Images

Article content When the Maple Leafs were getting close to the 57th pick in the 2021 NHL draft, Kyle Dubas hung up the phone and was pretty sure he had a deal made.

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Article content He was going to do what he had done in the past — swap one pick and get two or three back in return. It was his way of trying to make sense of having so few draft choices at the time. He was about to agree to the deal when his chief scout, Wes Clark, ostensibly said no. Not all scouts would be brave enough to speak up in a situation like this one. Some would defer to the power of the general manager. Some wouldn’t fight back. Clark, though, was adamant: Dubas looked to his left and saw Clark’s taut face in the Leafs war room, and heard his words in a rather adamant tone: “Pick (Matthew) Knies and move on.” He wasn’t kidding. They picked Knies. Didn’t make the trade for other picks. Didn’t do much of consequence the rest of the day. Dubas is now GM of the struggling Pittsburgh Penguins and Clark is his director of player personnel.

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Article content Knies, meanwhile, has turned into an NHL difference-maker, the left winger on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. He is an emerging power forward of note. He’s the fifth leading goal-scorer from the 2021 draft, and maybe the fourth-best player. And was so close to not being a Leaf. THIS AND THAT A touch of perspective on the giant numbers of the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. mammoth contract signing with the Blue Jays. While the deal includes enormous bonuses over the next four years and adds up to $500 million US in total, it essentially breaks down as $35 million a year for 14 seasons. On an annual basis, that would make him third in Toronto in sporting salary, behind the Raptors’ Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, who has yet to play a game in Toronto. Barnes will be paid $38 million next year, then $41 million, $44 million, $47 million and $51 million over the next five seasons according to Spotrac. Ingram is due to be paid $38 million, then $40 million and $41 million the next three Raptors seasons. A huge amount of money considering he has yet to suit up. There may be a salary cap in the NBA and not one in baseball, but the rosters are so small in basketball and the cap so large that the numbers seem rather illogical … After 14 games last season, slow starter Anthony Santander was hitting .189. This year after 14 games, he was hitting .185. The difference: Last year, he had three homers and 13 RBIs at this time. Santander finally got his first Toronto homer on Saturday at Camden Yards, just his third RBI … Sometimes life just lines up coincidentally: It was Alex Anthopoulos and staff who put in considerable work that signed Vladdy as a teenaged free agent. Guerrero has a press conference scheduled Monday in Toronto to celebrate the deal: The Blue Jays happen to play Atlanta that day, Anthopoulos’ currently struggling team … How dopey are the Pittsburgh Pirates, removing the Roberto Clemente sign in right field and replacing it with advertising? Well, they’re not dopey enough to not put it back in right after there was outrage from fans and family of the legendary Clemente. Why screw around with a figure like Clemente? … I’m ready for automated balls and strikes in baseball. I think by now most people are.

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Article content HEAR AND THERE This is how you know Connor McDavid is ready to explode in the Stanley Cup playoffs: He has seven points in his past two games with the Edmonton Oilers … In the eight seasons before this one, McDavid has finished first in Hart Trophy voting three times, second once, third twice and fifth twice. This season, he won’t likely finish top five in voting … Last year, McDavid finished third in NHL scoring and then exploded for 42 post-season points, fourth most in history …. There are those pushing goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for MVP in the NHL. And the case is a strong one. And there are those who won’t vote for Hellebuyck because there’s already an award for best goaltender. Here’s what’s confounding for me in a different kind of way: Hellebuyck has played in 61 games this season for Winnipeg. Defenceman Quinn Hughes has played in just 65 games for Vancouver. The brilliant Hughes would be a candidate for both the Norris Trophy and MVP, if he had played a full season. In my mind, I disqualify him from winning because he hasn’t played enough games. But he’s played more games than Hellebuyck. So that’s among the challenges of award selection at the end of any season … There are four great MVP candidates this year in the NHL — all of them worthy of winning — and McDavid isn’t one of them. Pick your order among Hellebuyck, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov is likely to win the scoring title for the second straight year and not winning a Hart in either season. That doesn’t happen often … Cale Makar should run away with the Norris Trophy and Montreal’s Lane Hutson should edge out Macklin Celebrini for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year …. As usual, there’s an impressive list of candidates for the Masterton Trophy, which is awarded to NHL player who best exemplifies the qualifies of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Among the 32 candidates: Alexander Ovechkin, John Tavares, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal, Sean Monahan and Drew Doughty. And those are just the big names involved … Why hasn’t Peter Laviolette been fired yet as coach of the New York Rangers? And really, how do the Buffalo Sabres bring back Lindy Ruff next season, even if it’s been only one season? I’m figuring Philadelphia, Boston, Rangers, Buffalo, Vancouver, Chicago and Islanders will be looking for coaches in the off-season. See who can find the next Spencer Carbery.

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Article content SCENE AND HEARD The phone call would come in the afternoon — usually, after I’d written something about goaltending. Greg Millen would call and we would spend about an hour on the phone, solving the world’s problems, talking goaltending, hockey, then more goaltending and laughing. Always laughing. Hockey and family were Millen’s passions. His son Charlie was a goalie just as he was. We had so many conversations about the Leafs, the NHL, the European junior draft, leadership and development. We were the same age, grew up not that far apart, shared so many sensibilities. Still can’t believe Greg Millen is gone. It doesn’t seem real or fair and what I’d give for just one more long telephone call … Ovechkin is the most prolific goal scorer in NHL history but where would he rank on the career list of players? Not ahead of Bobby Orr or Wayne Gretzky. Not ahead of Sidney Crosby, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux or Guy Lafleur. Not necessarily ahead of Bobby Hull or Dominik Hasek. That’s a podcast I’d listen to with the right people talking: Where does Ovie rank overall … Friday was the Ontario Hockey League draft at a time of confusion between junior hockey and the NCAA. I was told this story the other day about a young player who wasn’t yet eligible for this year’s OHL draft and has already been offered $200,000 to play U.S. collegiate hockey. They’re now offering 14- and 15-year olds money in the new polluted American college system. For years, juniors didn’t get paid enough, and those who did, were paid under the table. Now university kids are getting paid too much. The world has officially gone insane and never mind all the craziness in college football and basketball in the States … Dollar for dollar, was Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson the biggest waste of coin in the NHL this season? … If the Dallas Stars don’t get Miro Heiskanen back on defence for the playoffs, I can’t see them knocking off Colorado in the first round. Especially if Gabriel Landeskog may be coming for the Avs. With Heiskanen, it’s a pick-em series. He’s the least talked-about great player in hockey … The Maple Leafs have a week to make sure they have Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe ready and healthy enough to play together in the playoffs. With Tanev and McCabe playing together, they have their first pair of shutdown defencemen in years. Without one or the other, it’s a scramble … I agree with Auston Matthews. His name shouldn’t be listed as the most likely to catch Ovechkin in scoring. Not yet, anyhow. Five years from now, we can talk. Too early to talk about stuff that’s at least 10 years away … A morbid personal thought on the Guerrero signing: Will I be alive when he reaches the end of his Blue Jays contract? I turn 82 in 14 years time … Went to a minor-hockey tournament last weekend for the first time in years. Caught the bug while watching a friend’s son play two games. I used to coach. My kids used to play. It was a great time in our lives. Forgot how much I missed the scene, the action, the interaction and all that is the charm of minor sports … Really, who asked for mixed golfing at the 2028 Summer Olympics. Anyone? The same people who came up with flag football for the Olympics? …. Other losses this week: Longtime NHL executive Ray Shero , son of the legendary Fred Shero, at the young age of 62. And the wrestler Hartford Love, of Love Brothers fame. He was 84.

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Article content AND ANOTHER THING It was either an April Fool’s joke or an erroneous report. Either way, I bought in. I wrote last Sunday that the Raptors were planning to retire Chris Bosh’s number. I took the swipe at them for having such low standards. Turns out, there are no plans to retire Bosh’s jersey. It’s not even a consideration. Apologies to all who were duped into thinking this was real and to the Raptors who will retire Kyle Lowry’s jersey shortly, but not that of Bosh … I will take a swipe at the Raptors for this though: On Friday night, they listed RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickly as being out, ‘rest’ they officially called it. It’s Game 81 of an 82-game season. What exactly are they are resting for? … My first thought after the firing of Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone: Why? My second thought: Wouldn’t Malone make a perfect Team Canada coach heading into the 2028 Summer Olympics? … If anyone understands the dysfunction of the Nuggets, even with the world’s best player, it’s Masai Ujiri. He spent four seasons working for Denver’s ownership … Steph Curry has won two NBA scoring titles. Kevin Durant has won four. Allen Iverson four. Shaquille O’Neal two. None of them scoring more in those 12 seasons than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored with Oklahoma City this NBA season … Doesn’t it look like Phil Kessel’s baby brother is behind the bench of the San Jose Sharks? … Remember when Adam van Koeverden was an Olympic athlete of prominence and an Olympic voice that actually mattered? … Former Raptors boss Isiah Thomas was not impressed when LeBron James came out to warm up the other day without a shirt on. Wonder what he would think of William Nylander’s intentional shirtless post-game interviews? … Is there one great team in the American League this season? Doesn’t look like it. Meanwhile, the Padres are 11-3, the Giants are 10-3 and the Dodgers 11-4 in the NL West … Jack Eichel may not win an NHL award this season, but he will get votes from me for the Hart, the Lady Byng and the Selke. He’ll be the only player on my ballot getting votes for three awards … Happy birthday to Adam Graves (57), Dan Campbell (49), Davis Love III (61), Rasmus Dahlin (25), Sergei Gonchar (51), Patrik Elias (49), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (32), Ted Washington (57), Steve Pearce (42) and Jiri Crha (75) … And hey whatever became of Sandra Post? ssimmons@postmedia.com x/com/simmonssteve

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