It’s a small trade in the grand scheme of things, but maybe there’s more to Thursday’s Vancouver-Toronto trade than first meets the eye.

More on that in a second.

What we first see in the trade that brings 23-year-old centre Aatu Raty to Toronto for 24-year-old Jacob Quillan and 24-year-old Brandon Buhr is a shuffling of players on AHL rosters. Quillan was a Calder Cup champion with the Toronto Marlies last season, while Raty played six playoff games for the 2023 AHL champion Canucks.

The last time Raty was involved in a trade was just less than four years ago, when he was one of three pieces (along with Anthony Beauvillier and a first-round pick) coming to Vancouver for former captain Bo Horvat. Although the NHL Canucks did make the playoffs and win a round a year after that move (plus traded the first for Filip Hronek), the Horvat trade arguably put in motion Vancouver’s direction towards the rebuild it’s in now.

Once a highly regarded prospect ahead of the 2021 draft, Raty eventually fell into the second round where the Islanders selected him. He has 118 NHL games under his belt now and spent all of last season up with the Canucks. However, he passed through waivers unclaimed on Thursday, and so will now join the AHL Marlies and work to be a potential depth call-up in case of injury.

In Quillan and Buhr, the Canucks acquire two undrafted players who were signed out of college hockey. While Quillan got an extended end-of-season look on the Maple Leafs last season, Buhr is fresh out of the NCAA this season.

Who could get a shot in the NHL and what kind of games do these three players employ? And what else is there to consider about this trade as it pertains to roster management?

For that, we turn to our scout Jason Bukala.

This trade between the Maple Leafs and Canucks is interesting on many levels. Sometimes secondary strategies or future trades form a by-product of a deal like this one. 

The Maple Leafs were at their 50-contract limit before trading for Raty. By moving out Quillan and Buhr the Leafs now have 49 contracts on their books, opening up a slot to acquire another player on an NHL contract.

The Canucks, on the other hand, get two players on expiring contracts.

Buhr is a first-year pro who will have to prove his worth in the AHL with Abbotsford. He is set to become an RFA after this year, so the Canucks do not have to worry about losing him to free agency unless they pass on qualifying him. Buhr’s qualifying offer is set at $965,250 next summer. 

I anticipate Quillan will get an opportunity to play NHL games soon. The 24-year-old was originally signed by the Leafs after three years at the NCAA level, but has only suited up for 24 NHL games in his career. If he doesn’t reach a threshold of 80 career games after this season, he’ll become a Group 6 free agent and be free to sign with any NHL club.

Here’s a look at what each player in this trade might offer their new organizations:

Raty is a pending RFA who played 66 games for the Canucks last season. He doesn’t move the needle much offensively but he’s strong on face-offs, winning 60 per cent of his draws a year ago, and plays a checking role deep in the lineup.

Something that does concern me is the fact that no other NHL team was willing to claim Raty on waivers and that his former AHL coach is now the bench boss of the NHL team that just traded him away.

Having said that, Raty is still only 23 years old. Perhaps a change of scenery will be good for him and provide the Maple Leafs another checking forward option and potential penalty-killer. Raty’s qualifying offer is set at $852,500 next June. 

To Vancouver: Jacob Quillan and Brandon Buhr

I like Quillan as a player and believe he can introduce a new layer of speed and skill to the Canucks lineup. He plays fast and has proven he can produce offence at the AHL level, where he scored 36 points in 40 games last season. There wasn’t room in Toronto for his skill set at the NHL level, but given where the Canucks are with their rebuilding roster he should compete for a middle-six/third-line role. Quillan is a six-foot, 200-pound, left-shot forward who can play both centre and the wing. 

I recently viewed Quillan at a pre-season rookie tournament in Gatineau, Que., and came away with the following impression:

“At the minor league level Jacob is a proven contributor offensively. He’s a consistent competitor who plays quick and fast. He’s not tall but he’s plenty strong. Jacob has a quick/accurate release. Pucks are on and off his stick efficiently in high-danger scoring areas. Has the hockey sense to be used in a variety of roles but he’s most comfortable at even strength and the power-play. A fourth-line NHL role might smother his offence.”

Buhr is in his first year of pro hockey after the Maple Leafs signed him out of Union College last spring. He’s a right-shot centre, listed at six-foot-two, 205 pounds, who contributed 19 goals and 17 assists in his last year of college. It’s my opinion that Buhr has to be slotted, at worst, in a middle-six role. He leans more toward being a shooter than a playmaker and is less likely to be deployed in a variety of roles the way Quillan can be. As I noted above, Buhr will have to first prove he is capable of producing at least at the same rate as Quillan did with the Marlies before he’ll get an audition at the NHL level. Word is he may start in ECHL Kalamazoo.