Failed trade between Oilers and Maple Leafs reported:

On Sunday afternoon, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded versatile depth forward Sam Lafferty to the Vancouver Canucks in return for a fifth-round draft pick in 2024. Lafferty will get opportunity in Vancouver, but he almost landed elsewhere in Western Canada as Elliotte Friedman reveals in his latest 32 Thoughts column on Sportsnet how Lafferty could have landed in Edmonton:

“Before Toronto traded Sam Lafferty to Vancouver (a nice pickup), the Maple Leafs called the Oilers. Edmonton’s liked him for a while, poking around last season before he was moved by Chicago. It obviously didn’t happen, but the Maple Leafs asked about Vincent Desharnais . He fits what they are looking for. He’s a favourite of the Oilers’ coaching staff.”

The Oilers aren’t looking to part ways with Desharnais, a seventh-round draft pick, 183rd overall in 2016 in his third draft-eligible season. The Oilers’ defenseman arrived last season as a call-up and never really went back down.

And the Oilers weren’t looking to lose him in a trade and so the Maple Leafs quickly turned to the Canucks and pulled the trigger there, freeing up $1.15 million on their cap with Lafferty on the move.

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