Lafferty

CHICAGO — Hollidaysburg native and NHL player Sam Lafferty is on the move again.

The Buffalo Sabres traded Lafferty to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft, the team announced Tuesday.

Lafferty, a 30-year-old forward, signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Buffalo last offseason after a career-best season in Vancouver.

He posted just four goals and seven points with a minus-15 rating over 60 games in Buffalo and was a healthy scratch early in the season.

Of the fourth-liners Buffalo added last offseason, only Beck Malenstyn remains.

Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson originally acquired Lafferty from the Pittsburgh Penguins — for Alex Nylander — in January of 2022, and Lafferty enjoyed the best stretch of his NHL career to date. He recorded 32 points in 97 games, and then-coach Luke Richardson used him effectively on the penalty kill and on a checking line.

The Blackhawks dealt Lafferty to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of a Jake McCabe trade in February 2023, receiving essentially a second-round pick. Lafferty finished the season in Toronto and then was traded to the Vancouver Canucks.

He scored 13 goals for Vancouver before signing with Buffalo last year.

Lafferty now arrives back in Chicago with one year remaining on a deal that carries a $2 million salary-cap hit for the Sabres.

He’ll provide depth for new coach Jeff Blashill and should fit the Hawks’ desired identity as a fast, aggressive forechecking team.