The Toronto Maple Leafs put Steven Lorentz on waivers Thursday, and that kind of move tends to get a quick scan before disappearing into the camp clutter. This one deserves more than that. For the Vancouver Canucks, Lorentz looks like the sort of player worth a hard look.
The 30-year-old forward is carrying two years left on a three-year, $4.05 million contract that runs through 2027-28, with a $1.35 million average annual value. That’s not nothing, but it’s also the kind of deal that can make sense if a team wants a dependable bottom-six piece without breaking the bank.
Lorentz’s value starts with the stuff that doesn’t always show up in highlight clips. In Toronto last season, he averaged 2:10 of penalty-killing time per game, while posting seven goals and 11 assists.
He also landed 154 hits and blocked 48 shots. He wasn’t brought in to drive offence or run a power play.
He was there to make shifts annoying, win pucks, finish checks and do the dirty work.
That’s exactly why he stands out as a possible fit in Vancouver. The Canucks don’t need another player who has to be force-fed offensive touches.
They need people who know their lane and stay in it. Lorentz has shown he can do that.
There’s also something to be said for the way he plays every night. What stands out is the consistency, not one splashy moment.
Whether he’s getting 12 minutes or a smaller slice of ice time, he brings the same energy. For a team trying to build a reliable bottom six, that matters.
So does the fact that he’s affordable.
Vancouver has younger forwards who will need chances, but it also needs veterans who can absorb the hard minutes while those players develop. Lorentz fits that bill.
He’s also shown a little more finish than a classic fourth-liner sometimes brings. His seven goals and 18 points last season don’t scream for attention, but they do show he can chip in when the opportunity is there.
In 381 NHL games, he has 36 goals and 80 points.
The penalty kill may be the strongest part of the pitch. A player who can handle fourth-line minutes and help on the PK gives a team more stability when injuries hit or the lineup shifts. That kind of usefulness tends to stick.
There’s one more wrinkle here, too. John Chayka didn’t originally bring Lorentz to Toronto.
He joined the Maple Leafs on a professional tryout before the 2024-25 season, then later signed a three-year extension under the previous management regime. Chayka has since spent the summer reshaping the roster, and Lorentz apparently no longer fits the new picture.
That doesn’t mean Toronto was wrong to move on. It just opens the door for somebody else to step in.
The Canucks should at least ask whether there’s room for him. If there is, they’d be getting a player who already understands how to handle a fourth-line role, kill penalties and bring some edge without needing the puck all night.
That’s the appeal here. Vancouver wouldn’t need to reinvent him.
Put him on the fourth line, give him penalty-killing work, let him forecheck and finish his checks. Every so often, he’ll chip in a goal.
That’s a pretty useful NHL player.
And sometimes that’s exactly the kind of addition a team needs: not the loud one, just the one you trust when he’s over the boards.
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