The Vancouver Canucks moved Aatu Räty to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, sending the centreman to a team that was already carrying a heavy Canucks connection.
The trade was announced by Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson about an hour before puck drop against the Florida Panthers. Vancouver received forwards Jacob Quillan and Brandon Buhr in return.
Johnson addressed the move in the team’s release: “We want to thank Aatu for all he has done for the organization, and we wish him well in Toronto,” said Johnson. “By acquiring Jacob and Brandon this move gives our group two new young players to work with as we continue to look for ways to improve our overall depth.”
Quillan, 24, is a centre/winger from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He built his name with back-to-back seasons at Quinnipiac University, where he put up 32 goals and 73 points in 107 NCAA games, then signed a two-year entry-level contract with Toronto after the 2023-24 season as one of the top undrafted college free agents available.
His first pro year was productive. Quillan scored 18 goals and 37 points in 67 games with the Toronto Marlies and also picked up one NHL game.
Last season, he raised his pace, finishing with 14 goals and 36 points in 40 AHL games while adding one goal and three points in 23 games with the Maple Leafs. He also chipped in three goals and nine points in 19 postseason games for the Marlies on their way to the Calder Cup Championship.
This season, Quillan is on a one-year, two-way deal with Toronto, but the start has been quiet. He has gone pointless through his first four games.
Buhr brings a different path to the deal. The 24-year-old forward from North Vancouver, British Columbia, scored 19 goals and 36 points in 35 NCAA games at Union College last season before signing a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs. He played five games for the Marlies last year and had two assists, but he has not appeared this season.
Räty now lands in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs already have several former Canucks on the roster: Teddy Blueger, Dakota Joshua, Zack MacEwen, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Troy Stecher, and Chris Tanev. The Maple Leafs were dressing 11 forwards and seven defencemen ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, with Max Domi and Joshua injured, which should give Räty a real chance to carve out ice time in a new spot.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Will Want To See Chytils Next Step In Vancouver
Filip Chytil is on the verge of finally getting into the Vancouver lineup, giving the Canucks another look at a player whose arrival has been delayed by a shoulder injury. He has been out for the first eight games, but the club is now setting up for his season debut as it heads into a meeting with the Florida Panthers, a matchup that also comes with Leevi Merilainen and Akira Schmid projected to handle the crease.
To make room, Vancouver moved center Aatu Raty off the roster, a sign the team is ready to see what Chytil can add once he is healthy. For the Canucks, the timing matters because they are trying to get their center depth sorted while the schedule keeps rolling, and for Rangers fans still tracking Chytils path, this is the next checkpoint in a season that is only just starting for him. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Just Sent A Troubling Message About Aatu Rty
Aatu Rtys season has taken an early detour, with the young Canucks forward moving out of Vancouvers NHL picture for now and heading to Abbotsford. Rty appeared in just four games this season and saw limited ice time before the organization decided to shift him to the AHL, where he will join a center group that already includes Ty Mueller, Braeden Cootes and Chase Wouters.
For Rty, it is a notable step back after spending the entire 2025-26 season in the NHL, and it underscores how crowded the middle of Vancouvers lineup has become. He has been productive in the minors before, piling up 119 points in 169 career AHL games, but this move suggests the Canucks need him to reset and stay ready for another opening when it comes. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Face A Risky New Test With Chytil Back In The Mix
Filip Chytil is on track to rejoin the Canucks after working his way back from a preseason shoulder injury, and his return arrives at a time when Vancouver is still sorting out its lineup. The move gives the club another look at a player it expected to lean on, but it also comes with the kind of shuffling that tends to ripple beyond one spot in the forward group and into the defensive mix as well.
Aatu Rty being placed on waivers shows how quickly the roster picture can change when a key center is ready to come back, and the Canucks are making other tweaks as they prepare for Florida. The Panthers arrive without Aleksander Barkov and Jacob Markstrom because of injuries, with Akira Schmid expected to start in goal, which adds another layer to a matchup already shaped by Vancouvers latest personnel test. [Read more 🡒]