Maple Leafs acquire Räty from Canucks for Quillan, Buhr

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Thursday that they have acquired forward Aatu Räty from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forwards Jacob Quillan and Brandon Buhr.

Räty, 23, cleared waivers earlier on Thursday and will now be eligible to go between the NHL and AHL freely until he appears in 10 NHL games or spends 30 days on an NHL roster. The 6’2″ center has one goal in four games with the Canucks this season.

The New York Islanders originally selected Räty in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. The Oulu, Finland product spent the bulk of the 2025-26 season with the Canucks, collecting four goals and 14 points in 66 games while recording a 60.5 faceoff win percentage.

Quillan, 24, is the main piece heading to Vancouver in the trade. The 6’1″ center split the 2025-26 regular season between the Maple Leafs and the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and ultimately won the 2026 Calder Cup as a member of the Marlies after scoring nine points in 19 playoff games.

Buhr, also 24, signed with the Maple Leafs organization in March as an NCAA free agent from Union College. After scoring 19 goals and 36 points in 35 games as a senior at Union, the 6’2″ forward collected two assists in five games with the Marlies to conclude the 2025-26 regular season.

Quillan and Buhr are both undrafted forwards who will provide additional organizational depth for the Canucks going forward. All three players involved in the trade are on expiring contracts and can become restricted free agents at the end of the 2026-27 season.

Despite clearing waivers earlier on Thursday, Räty remained on the Canucks’ NHL roster at the time of the trade. It remains to be seen if and when he will make his debut with the Maple Leafs, who are slated to return to action on Thursday evening to host the Buffalo Sabres.