Canucks Need to Take Advantage of Maple Leafs Waiving Steven Lorentz

A few interesting names always surface when NHL teams start putting players on waivers in the final days of training camp. Most of them disappear into the waiver-wire pile pretty quickly. Steven Lorentz shouldn’t. The Toronto Maple Leafs placed the 30-year-old forward on waivers Thursday, putting him in a position where another NHL team can claim him.

Lorentz is being waived despite having two years remaining on his three-year, $4.05 million contract through 2027-28 at a $1.35 million average annual value (AAV). For the Vancouver Canucks, this is the kind of player worth a serious look.

Lorentz Does the Little Things Vancouver Needs

Watching Lorentz play in Toronto last season, it was easy to see why he kept finding his way into the lineup. He wasn’t there to be the star. He wasn’t going to run the power play or drive the offence from the second line. That’s not his job.

His job was to make life uncomfortable for the other team, win battles, finish checks, kill penalties and give his team a reliable shift. And he did plenty of that. Lorentz averaged 2:10 of penalty-killing time per game last season, while adding seven goals and 11 assists. His 154 hits ranked among the more noticeable parts of his game, and he also blocked 48 shots.

Those aren’t superstar numbers. They’re fourth-line numbers. And that’s exactly the point. The Canucks don’t need Lorentz to suddenly become a 25-goal scorer. They need players who understand what their job is and do it every night. Lorentz has shown that he can.

Vancouver Could Use His Work Ethic

This is where the personal observation matters. After watching Lorentz in Toronto, what stood out wasn’t one particular game. It was the consistency. He brings the same sort of energy whether he’s playing 12 minutes or getting a smaller role. That’s a useful quality for a team building a dependable bottom six. His contract also makes him good value.

The Canucks have some young forwards who will need opportunities. They also need veterans who can take the hard minutes while those players develop. Lorentz fits that description.

He also has a little more offensive ability than the traditional fourth-line label might suggest. Seven goals and 18 points won’t jump off the page, but it shows he can contribute when the opportunity is there. His career totals are 36 goals and 80 points in 381 NHL games.

And then there is the penalty kill. That might be the part Vancouver should pay the most attention to. A player who can give you trustworthy fourth-line minutes and contribute on the penalty kill has a much better chance of staying useful when the lineup changes or injuries hit.

The Chayka Factor Makes This Interesting

There is another little wrinkle here. John Chayka didn’t bring Lorentz to Toronto. He joined the Maple Leafs on a professional tryout (PTO) before the 2024-25 season and later signed a three-year extension under the previous management regime.

Chayka has spent the summer reshaping the Maple Leafs’ roster, and Lorentz apparently doesn’t fit into the new version of the team. That doesn’t mean Toronto made the wrong decision. It might simply mean another team can capitalize on the situation.

The Canucks should at least ask one question. Is there room for Lorentz? If the answer is yes, Vancouver could be getting a player who already knows how to play a fourth-line role, kill penalties and bring some edge without needing the puck all night.

Those players aren’t always easy to find. And when one becomes available for the price of a waiver claim, it’s worth a look.

The Canucks Don’t Need Him to Be Something He’s Not

That’s probably the biggest reason I like the fit. Vancouver wouldn’t need to sell Lorentz on some expanded offensive role. They wouldn’t need to turn him into something he isn’t. Put him on the fourth line. Give him penalty-killing minutes.

Let him forecheck. Let him finish his checks. And let him make the other team’s defencemen work for every puck. Then, every once in a while, celebrate when he chips in a goal. He can be a pretty useful NHL player.

Sometimes the best roster additions are the players who simply make you feel comfortable when they’re on the ice. Lorentz is that kind of player. Vancouver should at least see if it can make him a Canuck.