Canucks acquire Sam Lafferty from Maple Leafs

The Vancouver Canucks and general manager Patrik Allvin announced that they have acquired forward Sam Lafferty from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Sam Lafferty is an interesting addition to the Canucks' roster by general manager Patrik Allvin. He is purely a depth forward who has the versatility to play center and left wing, but is an experienced player that could help out a young roster.

Lafferty came into the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins and spend the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons with them, according to Hockey Reference. He started the 2021-2022 season with the Penguins before moving to the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season, he went from the Blackhawks to the Maple Leafs.

Last season was the best season for Lafferty, as he put up a career-high 27 points in 70 games last year, according to Hockey Reference.

The Canucks disappointed last year and missed the playoffs by a wide margin. Many do not expect them to return to the playoffs this season, but they do hope to surprise some people. Hopefully Lafferty can provide depth that helps them do that.

Vancouver still has some quality players like JT Miller, Elias Pettersson, along with some players they got from the New York Islanders in the Bo Horvat trade. The Canucks are betting on Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty to become staples of their roster.

Anthony Beauvillier has put up some quality seasons together in the past, while Aatu Raty was a quality prospect when they acquired him.

Still, the heavy lifting will be up to JT Miller and Elias Pettersson. They hope Lafferty can help them out.