The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have acquired former second-round pick Aatu Raty from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jacon Qullian and Brandon Buhr. The deal comes just before they start a home stand against the Buffalo Sabres, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m.
The Maple Leafs under John Chayka have been one of, if not the most active, teams in the NHL, and again with this deal, he proves that he isn't afraid to make changes to the roster if he feels it'll improve the team.
What Raty brings to the Maple Leafs
Aatu Raty had all the hopes of becoming a top-10 pick in the 2021 NHL draft. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, and he fell all the way down into the second round, where he was eventually drafted by the New York Islanders with the 56th pick in the draft. It wasn't long after that that he was dealt to the Canucks as part of the Bo Horvat deal that took place in 2023.
Since then, he has been a fringe NHL player who has struggled to find his way in the NHL. He has played in 118 games across parts of four seasons and scored 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points. So, although he was supposed to be a point producer when he was drafted, things haven't worked out that way for him.
The one thing that does stand out is that he can play the wing as well as down the middle, and he has some speed to his game. Which does provide a different style of play than Quillan did as an AHL call-up. Which is exactly what Raty will be; he will likely start his time in the organization with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, and when he is needed either due to an injury in the lineup or just a different look on a line, he will be called up.
This is more of an AHL trade than anything; however, if Raty can figure it out here in Toronto, he dopes hae the bones to be a good NHL player, especially in a bottom-six where he pressure is off of him.
Maple Leafs say goodbye to Quillan
This is the part of the trade that is going to leave some fans in Leafs Nation scratching their heads. Toronto parted with a good young player in Quillan, who now will get a chance to be an NHL player on a regular basis. In Toronto, he was the emergency call-up for the forward group, and this season, he looked to fall further down that list. But with the Canucks, he has a real chance to be a bottom-six center for them and become what he has always hoped to be: an everyday NHLer.
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