Maple Leafs Trade Pitch Lands Connor McDavid For Matthew Knies-Led Haul

September 3, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

A Maple Leafs trade pitch lands Connor McDavid from the Oilers for a substantial return headlined by Matthew Knies. GettyMatthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Getty

A new Maple Leafs trade pitch proposes a potentially controversial scenario that would bring a future Hall of Famer to Toronto to complete his legendary career. But the price would be steep — an impressive haul for the Edmonton Oilers topped by Toronto’s left-shot winger Matthew Knies.

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The trade proposed by a user on the roster-building simulation site PuckGM would also send Ben Danford, Dakota Joshua and two first-round picks Edmonton’s way in exchange for 11-year veteran — and eight-time NHL All-Star Team selection — Connor McDavid.

Connor McDavid and Matthew Knies Headline the Framework

GettyMatthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

McDavid, born in Richmond Hill, Ontario, became the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 in 2016 after Edmonton drafted him first overall in 2015. He has won three Hart Trophies, a Rocket Richard, six Art Ross titles and five Ted Lindsay Awards, the latter tying Wayne Gretzky, according to a recent report on his latest honor. He posted 138 points in 82 games during 2025-26 and played through a fractured foot as Edmonton lost in six games to Anaheim.

His deal carries a $12.5 million cap hit for two more seasons and includes a full no-move clause, meaning he alone can approve any trade, according to PuckPedia.

Knies, a Phoenix native drafted 57th overall in 2021 out of Minnesota, has grown into a 23-year-old power winger with 160 points across 240 NHL games, including 66 last season. He signed a six-year, $46.5 million extension in 2025 running through 2030-31.

Toronto general manager John Chayka has said the club is not shopping him but would field an offer described as “the moon,” according to a Daily Faceoff report.

Danford, a 20-year-old right-shot defenseman Toronto took 31st overall in 2024, remains a prospect who has yet to play an NHL game. TheLeafsNation ranks him as the organization’s third-best prospect. Joshua, a bottom-six forward Toronto reacquired from Vancouver in July 2025, carries a $3.25 million cap hit through 2027-28.

Financial and Competitive Stakes for Both Franchises

The money moves almost evenly in year one. Toronto would take on roughly $11.94 million against $12.5 million leaving, a net increase of about $560,000. The terms diverge sharply after that. McDavid becomes a free agent in 2028, while Knies is locked in through 2031 and Danford through his entry-level deal. PuckGM‘s own projection shows Toronto landing at a $107.3 million projected cap hit with zero room left and 22 of 23 roster spots filled.

Competitively, pairing McDavid with Auston Matthews would give Toronto two of the sport’s most productive players in the same lineup. But Toronto surrenders its top prospect defenseman, its top young winger and two first-round picks for a two-year rental who must personally sign off on leaving Edmonton.

For the Oilers, the return falls short of prior proposals circulated about a McDavid trade, which typically envision multiple first-round picks plus an established young star rather than one winger, a raw prospect and a depth forward.

Cash payouts widen the gap further. McDavid is owed $14.25 million in actual salary for 2026-27, while Knies is owed $9 million, according to salary figures tracked by Spotrac. Toronto would pay far more up front for a player it might control for only two seasons.

None of this changes the practical reality hanging over the exercise. McDavid’s no-move clause means the six-time Art Ross winner decides whether he ever leaves Edmonton, and nothing in Chayka’s public comments suggests Toronto has made a real run at prying him loose.

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It's time to really start judging Maresca and new-look Man City after $600M refresh

September 3, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Any concerns over Manchester City's capacity to challenge Arsenal for the Premier League title early in the post-Pep Guardiola era might have disappeared.

That's what back-to-back wins and spending $400 million on new players in two weeks can do for a team.

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City is back in a good place, it seems, at the end of a transfer window where the club had a bigger expenditure than anyone else in Europe. Deadline-day signings of Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye took its overall summer outlay to more than $600 million.

Over the past week, City has also bought Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and Brazilian winger Allan — for a combined cost of $160 million — essentially as backups.

It leaves City manager Enzo Maresca suddenly with a strong, deep squad and therefore plenty of selection dilemmas for the home match against Coventry on Saturday.

Maresca started the season playing Marc Guehi — a center back — in center midfield, such were his shortage of options there after City sold or released a slew of midfielders such as Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders and hadn't replaced them.

Now he has to pick two of Elliot Anderson, Fernandez or Bouaddi to play behind in-form playmaker Rayan Cherki. And on the wing, Ndiaye and Allan will provide competition for senior players Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku.

You fear for Coventry, a promoted team which has already traveled to Arsenal and was fortunate to lose only 3-0.

City has opened the season with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth and a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace. The first couple of weeks might have been the best time to play City with its incomplete squad, new manager settling in and players not fully fit after the World Cup. Let's not forget the Community Shield, where City's performance was tepid in a 3-0 loss to Arsenal.

This weekend onward is the time to really start judging Maresca and this refurbished City team.

Key matchups

The standout fixture sees defending champion Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday in a match between two of the four teams on a maximum six points. Arsenal has looked typically stingy at the back — it has yet to concede a goal — while Chelsea is the joint top scorer with seven goals, so something has to give.

Aside from City, promoted Hull is the other team with two wins from two and next hosts Aston Villa, which has zero points.

After back-to-back draws, Liverpool will look for its first win of the season at promoted Ipswich on Friday.

Players to watch

This is the first chance to see some of the top signings in the transfer window in action.

Among them is Bradley Barcola, who could make his debut — possibly off the bench — for Liverpool after his $166 million move from Paris Saint-Germain. He hadn't made an appearance for PSG this season with uncertainty over his future.

Jack Grealish is back on loan at Everton and might be thrown straight in against Manchester United with Ndiaye no longer around.

Off the field

Watch out for possible protesting by Everton fans unhappy at the American-owned club's activity in the summer transfer market that saw not only its best attacker, Ndiaye, leave but also its backup striker Beto depart without being replaced.

With deadline-day bids for Folarin Balogun and Joshua Zirkzee failing, Everton has been left with just one senior striker — Thierno Barry.

Everton's fan advisory board issued a statement to reflect the “serious concerns” expressed by supporters regarding the club's handling of the transfer window and argue the squad is in a weaker state than it was at the start.

“The gap between ambition and execution is now impossible to ignore, and it has damaged confidence in the planning, leadership and alignment of football operations,” the fan group said. “Supporters deserve clarity, accountability and evidence that lessons have been learned before further trust can be rebuilt.”

The Texas-based Friedkin Group is starting its second full season as Everton's owner.

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