The Leafs made a somewhat surprising move last Sunday when they traded forward Sam Lafferty to the Vancouver Canucks. Now we know that another western Canadian team was interested in the veteran forward.
NHL Insider Reveals Missed Trade Opportunity For Oilers
Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 thoughts yesterday that the Leafs and Oilers nearly came to an agreement on a trade that would have sent Sam Lafferty to Alberta.
"Before Toronto traded Sam Lafferty to Vancouver, 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 apparently were not willing to part with Desharnais which explains why the Leafs ultimately ended up sending him to Vancouver in exchange for a 5th round draft pick. Toronto netted 1.15 million in cap space in the deal while they only would have freed up about 400k if the trade with the Oilers was accepted.