Vancouver Canucks acquire forward Sam Lafferty from Toronto Maple Leafs

The Vancouver Canucks have acquired forward Sam Lafferty from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the club announced Sunday morning.

Lafferty, 28, collected 12 goals and 27 points in 70 games split between the Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks during the 2022–23 regular season. The 6’1″ forward added a goal and three points in nine playoff games with Toronto.

With this trade, the Canucks now possess six picks in the 2024 NHL Draft: their own selections in the first, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh rounds, plus the New Jersey Devils’ fourth-round pick.

Lafferty is under contract for the 2023–24 season at a $1.15 million cap hit.

The Pittsburgh Penguins originally selected Lafferty in the fourth round (No. 113 overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft. The right-handed forward from Hollidaysburg, PA spent four full seasons at Brown University before turning pro in the Penguins organization in 2018.

Lafferty eventually made his NHL debut with the Penguins in the 2019–20 season, collecting six goals and 13 points in his first 50 games with the club. He spent parts of three seasons with the Penguins before being traded to Chicago in exchange for forward Alex Nylander.

After just 97 games in Chicago, Lafferty found himself on the move once again — this time, to a team located north of the 49th parallel. Ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, the Blackhawks sent Lafferty, defenseman Jake McCabe, and two fifth-round picks to the Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-rounder.

Now, Lafferty is set to join a Canucks team in search of only its second playoff berth since 2015. Although he’s appeared in just 10 playoff games in his career, Lafferty is a versatile and hard-nosed player who is capable of adapting seamlessly to postseason hockey.

Through 210 career NHL regular-season games with the Penguins, Blackhawks, and Maple Leafs, Lafferty has collected 23 goals and 59 points.