Case closed: Lafferty is Canucks’ best bottom-sixer
When the Vancouver Canucks acquired forward Sam Lafferty from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 8, it came as a bit of a surprise to everybody. Lafferty was one of the Leafs’ deadline additions last season, and played rather well in his short time in Ontario. For a 2024 fifth-round pick, the 28-year-old has proven to be a massive steal so far.
Lafferty has been stapled to the fourth line to start his Canucks tenure, and has played alongside a few different players so far. Dakota Joshua, Pius Suter, and Anthony Beauvillier are still searching for a breakthrough, while Conor Garland and Jack Studnicka have been on and off the fourth line. And, while that line has mostly been hemmed in at 5-on-5, they’ve also outperformed their expected goals percentage by roughly 12 percent through their first eight games.
Lafferty, the Canucks’ one constant on that bottom unit, potted another goal against the Nashville Predators tonight, bringing him up to two goals, one assist, and three points on the year. He’s fast, he moves his feet, and plays with poise and discipline. The former Pittsburgh Penguin is a little bit better than a fourth liner, and a little bit worse than a top-six forward; that’s a great problem to have if you’re the Canucks this year.
At the end of the day, the Canucks picked up a very reliable player for peanuts, and good role players are harder to come by than most people realize. Once Lafferty gets some stability on his line and better support from the blueliners not named Quinn Hughes or Filip Hronek, the Canucks might have something going here. Indeed, Nils Hoglander has been a pleasant surprise, but he needs more ice time as well.
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The Canucks apparently aren’t done adding to their lineup yet either, so that’ll be something to watch as well. Maybe more Laffertys are on the way.