Three days before the beginning of the Vancouver Canucks season, General Manager Patrik Allvin made a move with the Toronto Maple Leafs to acquire 28-year-old forward Sam Lafferty.
Lafferty has shown versatility throughout the lineup. He’s been a player who can slot in on any line and has been able to add centre depth to the bottom-six. Lafferty has been able to contribute on a nightly basis with his speed and tenacity on the forecheck while chipping in offensively and helping add scoring depth to the Canucks’ lineup.
“With years of experience, you start to get confidence and really understand exactly how you can impact the game on a consistent basis,” said Lafferty when asked about his confidence in his fifth NHL season. “It's a work in progress and it's a daily thing but I'd say I’m definitely excited about what’s going on here.”
One of the consistent traits we’ve seen from Lafferty this season is his willingness to drive the net with aggression. He leans on his speed to get around defenders and then recognizes the lane he needs to take to get to the net with pace and creates scoring chances off of his effort. According to NHL EDGE, Lafferty has the fastest top speed of any Canuck this season, coming in at 37.6 km/h.
The Canucks have seen their depth contribute offensively while playing responsibly defensively this season. Lafferty has spent most of his season on the fourth line and he is averaging 12:59 of ice time per game. He picks up about a minute of penalty kill time per night and has seen a bigger role on the penalty kill in the absence of Pius Suter.
Lafferty’s most consistent linemate this season has been Nils Höglander. Lafferty has spent 69% of his five-on-five ice time with Höglander this season and their nice start to the season has resulted in the duo being on the ice for 12 goals for and only two goals against through the first 22 games of the season.
“I love playing with Höggy,” said Lafferty with a big smile on his face. “It's been a lot of fun. He's got such a high motor. He pressures pucks, he's got a ton of skill to go with it, he's strong and he wins his battle. When you put all of that together, he's a guy that’s easy and fun to play with. If we can force turnovers, and even if we don't end up scoring, if we can put the next line in a better spot to start their shift, that's what we're all trying to do collectively. Roll the lines over and that's when we're at our best.”
The fit between the player and the coaching staff has been an excellent connection for Lafferty to play his game and be able to execute on the strengths in his game.
“Our style of play really suits how I've always liked to play, and I think throughout our lineup, we're all trying to play fast, hard, and suffocate teams,” said Lafferty. “For the most part, we've done that this year, and we've had some success. The way we're trying to play here in Vancouver has been a lot of fun.”
It’s not just Lafferty who is enjoying the player-coach relationship, head coach Rick Tocchet has loved the way that Lafferty brings pace, effort and physicality each and every night.
"He's been a nice addition because he's a Swiss Army Knife, I've played him in different situations and different positions," said Tocchet. "When he gets that puck from a standstill to [then] separate yourself; he's one of our better players. He's obviously a fast player but it's his willingness to get to the net. On a lot of his goals, if you watch, they are around the net and we need those type of players. For him to be consistent away from the puck, defensive hockey IQ, things like that -- that's what he's got to raise his level and he's working on it. If he raises that level man, he's a hell of a hockey player.”
Lafferty has been excellent this season in his bottom-six role and he’s proving that he can help fill in higher up the lineup when there’s a spot that needs to be filled. Through 22 games, Lafferty is now up to five goals and five assists and continues to be a part of a bottom-six line that is dominant in controlling the share of goals while they are on the ice.
In his 248 minutes of five-on-five ice time, the Canucks have scored 15 goals while only allowing seven goals against. That’s a 68% control of the goal share and is showcasing the ability of the bottom-six to control the pace of play and be able to execute on their scoring chances.
We are seeing a tremendous fit in the bottom-six with Lafferty buying into the structure and systems that this team wants to play with. On top of his buy-in, Lafferty’s effort shows in droves and if he continues to outwork everyone else on the ice, he will continue on with the success that he’s had in the first quarter of the season.
