Sam Lafferty

Sam Lafferty

29-Year-Old Right WingRW
Buffalo Sabres
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Lafferty netted a career-high 13 goals and supplied 24 points in 79 games with Vancouver last season. Most of his production came during a 20-game span from Oct. 31-Dec. 9 when he notched seven tallies and six helpers. Lafferty took advantage of his time in the top six for the Canucks before dropping into a bottom-six role on the depth chart. He signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Buffalo in free agency. Lafferty set a new personal best in 2023-24 with 191 hits, marking a third consecutive campaign with at least 125 bodychecks. He utilizes his speed to pressure opponents and kill penalties but doesn't move the needle much from a fantasy perspective. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Sabres in July of 2024.
Filling fourth-line role
RWBuffalo Sabres
November 2, 2024
Lafferty has no points through his first 10 appearances of the season.
ANALYSIS
Lafferty has been scratched only once, though he saw a season-low 6:44 of ice time in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Islanders. The 29-year-old can chip in some depth scoring -- he had 24 points in 74 regular-season outings with the Canucks last year. He's added 15 hits, eight PIM and three shots on goal in 2024-25, but until he displays a scoring touch, he can be overlooked in fantasy.
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NHL Stats
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2018
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2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
  • Average Time On Ice:
    9:21
  • Average Power Play TOI:
    0:01
  • Average Short-Handed TOI:
    0:38
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2022–23
15:07
0:35
1:58
2022–23
13:15
0:50
0:55
2023–24
11:53
0:23
0:21
2024–25
9:21
0:01
0:38
Sabres Depth Chart
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Sabres Power Play Depth Chart
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2020
2019
Lafferty's calling cards are speed and grit. While he didn't really live up to expectations after arriving in Toronto via trade last year, he could play an important bottom-six role for the Leafs in 2023-24. That is, if he can make the team, especially with the new arrivals in that group. Lafferty could end up being the antidote for Ryan Reaves' slow feet, and the two of them on a line could be the ultimate 60-grit sandpaper line the team needs. These skills may help the Leafs on the ice, but they won't help you in most fantasy formats. Thirty-point, 140-hit players simply don't tick enough boxes, and that's probably a best-case scenario for Lafferty.
Coming off a solid rookie campaign in which he recorded six goals, seven assists and 95 hits in 50 contests, it seemed as though Lafferty could make a push for a more consistent bottom-six role this year. However, the offseason additions of Mark Jankowski, Evan Rodrigues and Colton Sceviour will make achieving that goal significantly more complicated for Lafferty. Without a clear path to regular minutes in the lineup, the Pennsylvania native figures to remain a low-end fantasy option heading into 2020-21.
Lafferty saw action in 70 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year, notching 13 goals and 36 helpers over that span. Even if the Brown University product puts together a solid showing at training camp, the Penguins will almost certainly send him back to their minor-league affiliate in order to ensure that he gets ice time, rather than watching from the press box inside PPG Paints Arena. If he can continue to improve his game, Lafferty could carve out a role as a penalty-killing specialist with the big club in the future.
More Fantasy News
Signs two-year deal
RWBuffalo Sabres
July 1, 2024
Lafferty signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Sabres on Monday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
ANALYSIS
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Rights moved in Mikheyev trade
RWFree Agent
June 26, 2024
Lafferty's negotiating rights, along with Ilya Mikheyev and a second-round pick in 2027, were traded to the Blackhawks from the Canucks for a fourth-round pick in 2027 on Wednesday, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Nets goal in Saturday's win
RWVancouver Canucks
April 13, 2024
Lafferty scored a goal, doled out four hits and blocked two shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Oilers.
ANALYSIS
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Tallies in loss
RWVancouver Canucks
March 25, 2024
Lafferty scored a goal on two shots and doled out eight hits in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Kings.
ANALYSIS
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Chips in with helper
RWVancouver Canucks
March 21, 2024
Lafferty logged an assist, three hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canadiens.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Rights on the move?
RWFree Agent
June 26, 2024
Lafferty's negotiating rights are expected to be traded to the Blackhawks this week, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
ANALYSIS
The Canucks' main motivation for the deal is to dump Ilya Mikheyev's salary. Lafferty was previously reported to be expected to test free agency, and it's unclear if he'd be willing to sign with Chicago -- a team he played for over parts of two seasons. The 29-year-old had 24 points in 79 contests in 2023-24 as a bottom-six forward.
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