The Toronto Maple Leafs traded forward Jacob Quillan, a native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday as part of a three-player swap that brought centre Aatu Räty to Toronto. The Maple Leafs sent Quillan and fellow forward Brandon Buhr west in exchange for Räty, who had cleared waivers earlier the same day.
From Quinnipiac Walk-On to Calder Cup Champion
Quillan's path to the NHL was anything but conventional. Quillan joined the Maple Leafs on April 2, 2024 after signing as an undrafted college free agent out of Quinnipiac University. He arrived in Toronto with a signature moment already on his résumé: in 2023, Quillan scored the overtime winner in the Frozen Four to lead Quinnipiac to its first NCAA championship.
Born February 2, 2002, in Dartmouth, Quillan built his professional reputation in the minors before getting a real look with the big club. The 24-year-old has played 24 NHL games, recording a goal and three points. His bigger impact came in the American Hockey League, where he has also appeared in 114 career AHL games for the Toronto Marlies, putting together 74 points, including a run to the Calder Cup with the Marlies last season.
Limited NHL Opportunities With Toronto
Despite steady production in Toronto's system, Quillan never fully broke through at the NHL level with a crowded Leafs forward group. He spent most of his time with the Marlies, where he was regularly among the club's top performers, while only sporadically getting NHL recalls. That depth chart logjam ultimately made him available as Toronto looked to retool its bottom six.
Who Toronto Received in Return
In Räty, the Leafs add a 23-year-old Finnish centre with NHL pedigree but an uncertain recent track record. Raty was selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders and has appeared in 118 career NHL games between the Canucks and Islanders, recording 14 goals and 29 points. Last season was his most productive, as in 66 games with the Canucks last season, Raty scored four goals and finished with 14 points, and he added a Calder Cup ring of his own with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2025.
This season, though, Räty struggled for a regular role in Vancouver. He had just one goal through four games with the Canucks before being placed on, and then clearing, NHL waivers on Thursday. His faceoff ability remains a selling point for a Toronto team always hunting for bottom-six depth, even as he is expected to begin his tenure with the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
Brandon Buhr's Homecoming
The trade also sends Buhr, 24, back to his home province. Buhr, who is from North Vancouver, is heading home as part of the deal. An undrafted forward himself, Buhr had posted strong college numbers before turning pro and had appeared in a handful of Marlies games already this season.
Reaction From Both Sides
Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson framed the move as a step toward reshaping his team's forward depth. «We want to thank Aatu for all he has done for the organization, and we wish him well in Toronto», Johnson said, adding that acquiring Quillan and Buhr gives Vancouver «two new young players to work with» as it continues building out its roster.
For the Maple Leafs, the trade is the latest tweak to a forward group that has already seen significant turnover this season, following moves like the earlier blockbuster deal that sent Matthew Knies to Columbus. General manager John Chayka has shown a willingness to churn the bottom of his roster in search of better fits, and Räty represents another depth option as Toronto navigates the early weeks of the NHL season.
What Comes Next
Quillan now begins a new chapter in the Canucks organization, likely starting out with Vancouver's AHL affiliate as he looks to carve out a bigger NHL role than the one he had in Toronto. Buhr, meanwhile, returns to play professionally in his home province for the first time. Räty's immediate task in Toronto is proving he can hold down a regular job after a frustrating start to the season in Vancouver, with his faceoff skills and penalty-killing ability giving him a path back into an NHL lineup.