Return of the Laf: Blackhawks Acquire Sam Lafferty from Sabres

Lafferty was first acquired by Chicago in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, sending Alex Nylander in the other direction. Lafferty thrived in Chicago, securing a two-year extension before he was flipped with Jake McCabe to the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Following a trade to the Vancouver Canucks, Lafferty’s rights were acquired by the Blackhawks last summer in the Ilya Mikheyev trade, but Lafferty opted to hit free agency and sign with the Sabres. Now, with one year and $2 million left on his deal, he returns to Chicago. 

In his time with the Hawks, Lafferty posted his best offensive numbers with 15 goals and 17 assists over 97 games. Now, he returns to bolster the bottom-six forward group and bring some tenacity to the penalty kill with players like Teuvo Teravainen, Ilya Mikheyev, and his former PK running mate, Jason Dickinson. 

It’s unclear whether or not the Blackhawks are finished making moves, but with an underwhelming free agency group still available, it’s hard to anticipate much news at all.