Center Sam Lafferty was trade from Chicago to Toronto along with defenseman Jake McCabe on Monday. Ton Gutierrez/Associated Press
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Jake McCabe from Chicago on Monday, their latest big trade that comes in the aftermath of division-rival Tampa Bay making another pre-deadline splash.
Toronto sent a conditional 2025 first-round pick, a second-rounder in 2026, prospect Pavel Gogolev and forward Joey Anderson to the Blackhawks for Lafferty, McCabe and conditional fifth-round picks in 2024 and ‘25. Chicago is retaining half of McCabe’s salary.
The Leafs look to again be on a crash course to face the Lightning in the first round of the playoffs, after losing to them in a seven-game series last year. Tampa Bay on Sunday paid a hefty price for forward Tanner Jeannot, sending young defenseman Cal Foote and five draft picks — including a first in 2025 — to Nashville.
The Lightning won the Stanley Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21 and went to the final in 2022. This move could set them up for another deep run, no matter the cost.
RANGERS: K’Andre Miller of the New York Rangers will have a hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety for spitting at L.A. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.
The league announced that Miller would have a hearing for unsportsmanlike conduct.
It was not immediately clear when the hearing would take place. The Rangers do not play again until Wednesday at Philadelphia.
Miller in a message posted on social media earlier Monday called his actions “completely accidental.”
“I would never intend to do something like that on purpose,” Miller wrote. “It goes against everything I am as a person and player. I felt awful about it.”
The 23-year-old also thanked Doughty for giving him the opportunity to apologize after the game. Miller was given a match penalty and ejected late in the first period, and the Rangers played the remainder of their 5-2 victory down to five defensemen.
Every match penalty carries an automatic suspension, pending review. In this case, Miller’s audience with the player safety department serves as that review.
There’s recent precedent for this kind of incident. Garnet Hathaway, then with Washington, was suspended three games in 2019 for spitting on Anaheim’s Erik Gudbranson.
MONDAY’S GAME
SENATORS 6, RED WINGS 2: Claude Giroux scored the tiebreaking goal and had three assists, Thomas Chabot had a goal and two assists and Ottawa won at home.
Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson and Jake Sanderson also scored to help Ottawa win its second straight after a two-game skid. Cam Talbot finished with 22 saves.
David Perron and Tyler Bertuzzi scored goals for the Red Wings, who have lost two straight after winning seven of eight. Magnus Hellberg had 36 saves.
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