The Leafs recently traded Sam Lafferty to the Canucks for what seemed to be a loss. However, when you look at the trade on a team level, the trade was a big win for the Maple Leafs.
Lafferty Traded to Vancouver for a Pick
Yesterday, the Leafs announced that they had traded Sam Lafferty to the Vancouver Canucks for a 5th-round pick. Immediately, that seems like a loss, as he was acquired for more than that just a few years ago.
#Canucks have acquired Sam Lafferty from the Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick!
The trade came a bit out of left field for Leafs' fans, and they have been trying to figure out why since then. NHL analysts have recently made it clear why the move had to be made.
Must read on Daily Hockey Dose
Lafferty Traded for Cap Space and the Ability to Keep More Players Around
The Leafs have been in trouble since the beginning of the offseason with regard to being cap-compliant. Now, with the Leafs facing decisions regarding waivers, they were forced to make a move that would allow them to keep the most amount of players on the roster, for the smallest cost. This just so happened to be Sam Lafferty.
Minus Lafferty, the Leafs should be able to sign Noah Gregor and carry a 21 player roster. His $1.15M salary likely biggest reason he's gone. Decent depth addition for Vancouver.
With the trade, the Leafs essentially replaced Lafferty with an equivalent player in Noah Gregor and gained cap space as well as a 5th-round pick. If the Leafs were to place Lafferty on waivers, he would have been gone for free.
As seen on Hockey Patrol - "Here's Why The Lafferty Trade Is A Win For The Maple Leafs"
| POLL | ||
9 OCTOBRE | 147 ANSWERS The Big Reason Why the Lafferty Trade Was Huge for the Leafs Do you think the Leafs won the trade, given their cap circumstance? | ||
| Yes | 108 | 73.5 % |
| No | 39 | 26.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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