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Here's Why The Lafferty Trade Is A Win For The Maple Leafs

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Tyler Ball
October 9, 2023  (9:21)
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The Toronto Maple Leafs made a puzzling trade last night. Many fans and media were unsure why they made the move but now things are starting to become more clear.

Lafferty Traded To Vancouver

Yesterday a trade was announced between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks. Sam Lafferty was traded to the Canucks for a 5th-round pick.

#Canucks have acquired Sam Lafferty from the Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick!

Since the trade was completed Maple Leafs and NHL fans have been trying to figure out why this move was made. After many hours of speculation one main theory has been confirmed by NHL analysts.

Lafferty Trade Is A Win For The Maple Leafs

When the trade was first completed many fans were worried about the small return for Lafferty. Many thought that Lafferty would be a key part of the Maple Leafs bottom-six. The breakout of a new player made Lafferty and a key part of his contract expendable.

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.

The salary relief that a switch from Sam Lafferty to Noah Gregor has is massive for the Maple Leafs. They now have more flexibility to keep more players around on the main roster. This leaves the Leafs with less difficult waiver decisions before the season begins.

Now Noah Gregor will be relied on a lot more than originally thought. He had an outstanding preseason and earned his spot to start the year. Now fans will have to see if he can carry the momentum of the preseason into regular-season hockey.

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Did the Maple Leafs win the Sam Lafferty trade?

Yes26255.7 %
No20844.3 %
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