Matthew Knies is a 6'3" and 232 pound winger who will be 24 in October, and on paper you'd think that the Toronto Maple Leafs trade chip would be a perfect fit for a Broadway Blueshirts group actively retooling. The Rangers can only spin their wheels aimlessly for so long, and if there were a trade to be made, adding a young player already signed long-term normally would seem like the thing to do.
In this case, Knies is everything the Rangers don't need right now, and doubling down on a player like him would be a huge mistake. The Rangers will eventually need to take a swing, but they are better off sitting out this time, just like they did last offseason when JJ Peterka was available.
Knies is the wrong fit for Rangers roster
It is true that Knies is coming off a career year in which he tallied 66 points in 79 games, a season which repredents an eight point increase year over year, but there are other numbers of importance that are worth considering.
From an underlying numbers perspective, Knies is a liability the Rangers should avoid. This season he finished with a 42.72 GF%, a 41.76 CF%, and a 42.69 xGF% in 1,090 minutes at 5v5 according to Evolving-Hockey. When he was on the ice he generated 2.39 goals per 60 minutes, and conceded 3.20 goals against per 60 minutes. That is pretty horrific, and that he even tallied 66 points with such an underwhelming profile is a tad impressive. That he's being paid $7.75 million for that level of play just makes the idea of acquiring him that much more unappealing.
A charitable view of Knies would focus on the fact that he almost had 70 points, he has the size that most teams covet, and at age 24 there is still time for him to grow and continue developing as a hockey player. To that point I would say... the Rangers are better off taking that time and energy by channeling that approach to someone already on the roster.
Rangers would be better off truly figuring out what they have in Cuylle
Will Cuylle is a 6'3" and 212 pound winger that brings a lot of physicality, and he finished the 2025-26 season with 20 goals and 18 assists for 38 points in 82 games. He had a rough go at times, but was able to finish strong and within striking distance of his previous season's stats. He posted a line of 20-25-45 in 82 games in 2023-24, an improvement over the 13-8-21 line he put up as a rookie in 81 games back in 2023-24.
While his top line numbers trail Knies' output, his underlying numbers are much more promising. Cuylle ended the season with a 49.82 GF%, a 48.62 CF%, and a 49.83 xGF%. While you'd like those numbers to be positive, he has a lot less work to do in that regard than Knies. To that point, his year over year performance was pretty consistent, whereas Knies had a pretty significant drop off.
2025-26 Knies: 42.72 GF% | 41.76 CF% | 42.69 xGF%
2024-25 Knies: 56.22 GF% | 50.16 CF% | 53.44 xGF%
2025-26 Cuylle: 49.82 GF% | 48.62 CF%| 49.36 xGF%
2024-25 Cuylle: 54.86 GF% | 49.87 CF% | 48.83 xGF%
The only reason I bring up these two year samples is because I think it is important to see how a young player performs in the NHL, and how they follow that up after the league becomes a bit more familiar with who they are. It is easy to have success when teams haven't been able to scout you all that much, and it is valuable to see how players can overcome the challenge and reinvent themselves to find success.
Cuylle was practically the same player he was the year before, and both of these season were at a time in which the Rangers were underperforming. This year's Maple Leafs' squad was worse off than the year before, and Knies' underlyings dropping of along with that is important to take note of.
Rangers focus needs to be on gamebreakers
It remains to be seen how active the Rangers will be this offseason. That said, the only acquisitions they should be considering are gamebreakers who will be better than almost everyone currently on the roster. Said more directly, the Rangers need players who go to the top of the depth chart and push everyone down a rung. This method of building strengthens the roster, improves depth, and creates a situation where the Rangers can win more matchups.
In an ideal world Mika Zibanejad would be best suited as a No. 2 center. He can survive on the top line, but the Rangers are better off having someone better than him. The same can be said about J.T. Miller, and to some extent you could say that about Gabe Perreault because ideally him developing on the second line is better for his development.
Knies doesn't scream gamebreaker, and for that reason the Rangers should just let some other team make a mistake overpaying. Last summer JJ Peterka was a hot name on the market after tallying 68 points for the Buffalo Sabres. He was moved to Utah and finished with 47 points in 82 games, and he saw his role diminish. Josh Doan was a key part of the trade package that went to Buffalo, and he finished with 52 points.
I have a feeling that Knies is just this year's version of Peterka, and while there is still time for him to develop, the Rangers aren't in a spot where they can afford to be patient as they walk a fine line between retool and rebuild post Letter 2.0.
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