Toronto Maple Leafs Sam Lafferty to Canucks: Trade Grade

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Sam Lafferty to the Vancouver Canucks yesterday.

In exchange for the 27-year-old depth forward, the Toronto Maple Leafs received a 5th round pick.

Lafferty had previously been acquired last year in the trade that saw the Leafs send a first, a second, and two nothing prospects to Chicago for McCabe (50% retained) and Lafferty.

Considering that Jake McCabe is a borderline top-pairing NHL defenseman who has one of the NHL’s best cap-hits at just $2 million, and that the Leafs got two years of his services out of the deal, the cost to get Lafferty was basically nothing.

Let’s grade the Trade

Toronto Maple Leafs Sam Lafferty Trade Grade

Any team in hockey would be happy paying the price the Leafs did for McCabe alone, so I think its fair to say that Sam Lafferty didn’t really cost them anything to acquire.  Therefore, getting a 5th rounder for Lafferty is a pretty decent profit.

Lafferty is 27 and has never won his minutes at 5v5, and so he is unlikely to ever become more than just a random 4th liner.

To be sure, Lafferty does have wheels and is one of the NHL’s fastest players.  But that’s the only reason he’s even an NHL player.  He doesn’t seem to have the skill to make use or his wheels at this level.

Lafferty makes over a million dollars, so getting rid of him and replacing him with a rookie making $800 K is a good way for the Leafs to get under the salary cap.

With Martin Jones hitting waivers, and Connor Timmins hitting the LTIR, the Toronto Maple Leaf are probably close to being cap compliant with this move . Either way, the cap hardly factors in – it’s just common sense to move on from a player with no upside when you’ve got so many players who do.

Cheaper than Lafferty and capable of playing for the Leafs this year with no drop off are Steeves, Abruzzese, Holmberg, Robertson, Minten, Cowan, and the newly signed Noah Gregor.

Additionally, this could very well have been a situation where Lafferty got taken on waivers, so it’s almost a “found money” situation.

Therefore, I have to give this move an A+.

It’s not exactly an earth shattering trade, but the Leafs made a profit and they saved some money and they got a lottery ticket that might turn out to be something down the road.

You can’t go wrong with a move like this.  There is little danger of seeing Lafferty breakout and become a star a la Carter Verhaeghe, and this helps the Leafs get ready to stat the season, which begins Wednesday.

Though it’s a minor one, new GM gets a big W for his first trade as the Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager.