As NHL free agency gets underway Tuesday, the Chicago Blackhawks have acquired forward Sam Lafferty in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.
In exchange, the Blackhawks sent a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to Buffalo.
This will mark Lafferty’s second stint with the team, as the Blackhawks had previously acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2022 swap. In 97 games with the Blackhawks, Lafferty scored 15 goals and dished out 17 assists.
During the 2022-23 season, Lafferty was traded to the Maple Leafs along with two fifth round picks and defenseman Jake McCabe in exchange for a first-round pick, a second-round pick, Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev.
The Blackhawks had briefly reacquired Lafferty’s rights at the end of the 2023-24 season, along with a second-round pick and Ilya Mikheyev. They ultimately chose not to sign him, instead allowing him to sign a two-year deal with the Sabres.
In 349 career games, Lafferty has scored 40 goals and registered 50 assists, along with 182 penalty minutes.
His 2025 contract will pay him $2 million, according to Spotrac.