The Toronto Maple Leafs made an under-the-radar move by acquiring center Aatu Raty from the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
The move itself shouldn’t register on the Richter scale. Raty was clearly on the outs in Vancouver after failing to truly establish himself as a regular NHLer.
Things came to a head when the Canucks placed the 23-year-old on waivers. The Leafs didn’t bite, opting instead to make a deal happen.
So, they did. And it makes a lot more sense than folks think.
Raty was once a highly touted prospect. He was a second-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2021 and was the prospect heading back to Vancouver in the Bo Horvat trade.
He’s the sort of center who can play a decent defensive game and can win face-offs. The Canucks envisioned him as a third-line center at one point, but were disappointed when his offensive game didn’t catch up to his overall skill set. Raty ended up scoring 14 goals and 29 points in 118 games, notching four goals and 14 points in 66 games last season.
In Toronto, Raty will likely head down to the AHL. He’ll take up a top-six spot with the Marlies for now. But you have to think that it’s only a matter of time before we see him in the NHL.
But there’s one other dimension to this trade that makes sense for the Maple Leafs.
Maple Leafs taking a chance on giving Raty a fresh start
The Maple Leafs are taking a flyer on Raty, hoping that a fresh start can help him find his ceiling. That fresh start is crucial, as Raty had clearly run out of time in Vancouver.
Elliotte Friedman noted this situation in Thursday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, highlighting Raty’s incompatibility with Manny Malhotra’s coaching philosophy.
“He wants to play, and it’s very clear that it’s not working out with him and Manny Malhotra.”
Malhotra had gotten to know Raty very well from their time together with the Abbotsford Canucks. But it seems that Malhotra and the rebuilding NHL Canucks just didn’t see eye to eye anymore in Vancouver.
So, off to Toronto Raty goes.
John Chayka is likely seeing the potential here to have Raty become a solid 3C, delivering depth down the middle. That’s something the club doesn’t have much of. Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Teddy Blueger, and Nick Paul have taken most of the load this season. But if someone should go down, the NHL depth is pretty thin.
One more thing: Injuries will be an issue at some point this season. And that’s when Raty will get his chance. While we don’t want anyone to go down, you have to think that it’s only a matter of time before someone does.
Let’s hope that a change of scenery will help Raty find the ceiling that once made him worth trading Bo Horvat.
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