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Tyler Toffoli

East Notes: Toffoli, Klingberg, Dumba

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New Jersey Devils forward Tyler Toffoli has been an exceptional fit with the team through his first 12 games, scoring eight goals and 13 points. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Devils would be interested in reaching an agreement on a contract extension for the forward, whose $4.25MM AAV contract is set to expire July 1st. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald told NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinski that he and Toffoli’s agent talk “all the time” regarding a contract extension, and while they’re “nowhere near that point of committing to term or dollar signs,” there appears to be mutual interest in finding a way to get a deal done.

Toffoli, 31, doesn’t exactly fit in the age bracket of the rest of the Devils’ stars, but he may still have some years of his prime remaining. The issue for the Devils could be cost, as another season with over 30 goals and 70 points would likely make Toffoli’s extension an expensive one, especially if the Devils don’t want to commit significant term. With Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer pending RFA’s, cash could be tight for the Devils this summer. But when a front office and a player appear aligned on a desire to find a way to get a deal done, the possibility of a contract extension can never be ruled out.

Some other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Various reports from Toronto Maple Leafs practice, including from The Hockey News’ David Alter, indicate that defenseman John Klingberg is facing some time in the press box as a healthy scratch, assuming defenseman Jake McCabe returns. Klingberg, who the Maple Leafs signed to a one-year, $4.15MM deal this past summer, has struggled as of late, particularly in last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. While he has five points in 13 games so far, his production rate remains below what Dallas Stars fans grew to be accustomed to during his time there. While there remains hope that Klingberg can return to that form, his early struggles combined with the Maple Leafs’ overall issues in keeping the puck out of their net are a storyline to watch during this early portion of the 2023-24 season.
  • With Klingberg’s struggles currently a hot topic in Toronto, some focus has been devoted to GM Brad Treliving’s offseason search for defensive help, and particularly what other options may have been available to Toronto. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the player Toronto “really wanted” on July 1st of last season was Matt Dumba, who eventually signed with the Arizona Coyotes. Friedman reports that Dumba’s camp was looking for a contract within the $5MM AAV mark, which is higher than what Toronto committed to Klingberg. With Klingberg struggling and Dumba playing nearly 21 minutes per night in Arizona (and leading the team in ice time on the penalty kill) one wonders if Toronto could re-engage their pursuit of Dumba, this time via a trade, should the Coyotes fall out of the playoff race.

Metropolitan Notes: Toffoli, Blue Jackets, York

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The Devils have already held preliminary discussions about an extension for pending UFA winger Tyler Toffoli, notes Ryan Novozinsky of the Newark Star-Ledger.  The 31-year-old was acquired from Calgary earlier this summer and is coming off by far his best season, one that saw him put up 34 goals and 39 assists in 2022-23.  Toffoli currently carries a $4.25MM AAV and with the year he just had, it’s fair to say he’ll be looking for a decent-sized raise to put pen to paper on an early extension.  If he winds up playing alongside Jack Hughes as he has at times in the preseason, he could be in for another big year which would certainly bolster his value on the open market next summer.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch highlights some of the Blue Jackets who were regulars last season but could find themselves on the bubble now after Columbus added some extra depth over the summer. The headliner on the list is Cole Sillinger, a player who made the team at 18 and had a nice rookie year in 2021-22 but struggled considerably last season, scoring just three times in 61 games.  An opportunity to play big minutes with AHL Cleveland might just be the best thing development-wise for him for now.
  • Flyers defenseman Cam York took part in practice with the team today, suggesting he has been cleared to return, relays Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had missed the last few days of practice with an undisclosed injury.  He’s entering the first season of a two-year bridge deal which should also be his first full NHL campaign.  York had 20 points in 52 games with the Flyers last season while adding 13 more in 20 games with AHL Lehigh Valley.

Devils Offered Tomáš Tatar A One Year Contract

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Colorado Avalanche forward Tomáš Tatar lingered in free agency peril for most of the summer before he finally signed a one-year deal with the team for $1.5MM. However, he recently told the Boris a Brambor Podcast that the New Jersey Devils had offered him a one-year contract earlier in the offseason.

When discussing the one-year offer from the Devils, Tatar said he wanted more term from the Devils when they made their offer, but only realized later in free agency that a multi-year deal wasn’t possible. By the time he’d changed his mind, the Devils had already acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames, making his return to New Jersey improbable.

Given Tatar’s timeline of events, it seems likely the Devils made their offer prior to June 27th when Toffoli was dealt to New Jersey. It’s hard to fault Tatar for thinking he could get a multi-year deal as he was coming off a good season in which he scored 20 goals and 28 assists in 82 games. His run-in free agency was one of the more puzzling things that happened this summer in hockey as he didn’t come close to getting the contract that many pundits predicted he would. The Athletic had Tatar projected to receive a three-year contract with an average annual value of $3.9MM but the flat cap and an underwhelming playoff hurt his earning potential.

Tatar’s situation is not unlike that of Evan Rodrigues last summer, he also signed with Colorado on a one-year deal after lingering in free agency for quite a while. Rodrigues signed a four-year $12MM contract this year with the Florida Panthers, something that Tatar could mimic next summer if he has another good year.

Free agency is often a guessing game, and it is sometimes hard to project who will take a one-year deal and who can get term. Many people were blindsided by which players received term on their new deals (Ryan Reaves) and which players took one-year deals (Jason Zucker). But with the flat cap, free agency has become harder than ever as evidenced by a useful middle six forward like Tatar going more than two months unsigned.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Tyler Madden To Extension

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The Los Angeles Kings have announced that they’ve signed restricted free agent center Tyler Madden to a one-year two-way contract extension. Madden is fresh off his third season in the AHL with the Ontario Reign after he was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NHL entry draft by the Vancouver Canucks. The two-way deal will see Madden earn $775K at the NHL level and $100K while he is in the AHL.

Madden was the central piece of the trade that sent forward Tyler Toffoli to the Canucks in February of 2020. Prior to that the 23-year-old native of Albany, New York spent two seasons at Northeastern University where he flourished posting 31 goals and 34 assists in 63 career NCAA games.

Since signing his entry-level contract with the Kings, Madden has spent three full seasons in the AHL where he has played 133 career games and scored 35 goals and put up 34 assists. He appeared to be well on his way to an NHL call-up in 2021-22 after he put up 31 points in 48 games but took a major step back this season offensively as he had just 33 points in 71 games. The two-way deal will give Madden an opportunity to continue his development in the AHL as he continues to work his way toward his first taste in the NHL.

At the time of the Toffoli trade, Madden was viewed as being just a few years away from the NHL and while his development has taken longer than expected he remains a terrific skater and a player with excellent vision.

Metro Notes: Killorn, Michkov, Konecny, Toffoli

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Following yesterday’s trade of forward Ross Colton, the Tampa Bay Lightning have again turned their attention towards securing a contract extension for pending unrestricted free agent winger Alex Killorn, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic said last night. Things will likely go down to the wire, but this will be one of the tougher negotiations in recent Lightning history. Killorn has reportedly turned down a longer-term extension offer at a low average annual value.

Moving Colton didn’t clear any cap space for Tampa. He was a pending restricted free agent, though, and the team didn’t have the salary cap flexibility to get an extension done. With the contract of retired defenseman Brent Seabrook on their books providing significant cap relief via long-term injured reserve, the team still has just $7.325MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly – which will be barely enough to re-sign RFA Tanner Jeannot, re-sign or replace their three UFA wingers including Killorn, and re-sign or replace netminder Brian Elliott as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s backup.

With Killorn being one of the top five UFAs available on this year’s market, it’s highly doubtful Tampa can make him a reasonable offer to stay. It would require quite a creative solution from general manager Julien BriseBois, who’s no stranger to cap gymnastics at this stage in his managerial career.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division today:

  • Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere was exuding confidence last night after his decision to draft Matvei Michkov with the seventh overall pick, revealing that he didn’t believe the Russian winger would fall and attempted to trade up. He wasn’t the only one – brand-new Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz was also reportedly trying to leverage assets to move into the top five of last night’s first round. Briere emphasized that the Flyers’ focus on rebuilding allows them to patiently await Michkov’s potential NHL debut, which could come as late as the 2026-27 season after his three-year contract with KHL team SKA St. Petersburg expires.
  • Staying with the Flyers, LeBrun also mentioned in his midnight column they’ve been receptive to trade offers for winger Travis Konecny, but Briere is inclined to retain him for the upcoming season unless an overwhelming offer emerges. Philadelphia has been the most active team on the trade market thus far in the offseason, already moving Kevin Hayes and Ivan Provorov while still aggressively shopping defenseman Travis Sanheim. The 26-year-old winger matched a career-high in 2022-23 with 61 points and provides high-end contract value at $5.5MM per season through 2025.
  • Lastly, per LeBrun, recently acquired right winger Tyler Toffoli has expressed his desire to begin contract extension talks with the New Jersey Devils at the earliest opportunity. Toffoli, seeking stability after playing for four teams in the past four years, sees the Devils as a team poised for long-term success. However, LeBrun predicts Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald will encourage Toffoli to familiarize himself with the team and market before initiating extension discussions – similar to the team’s approaches with Erik Haula and Timo Meier as recent examples.

New Jersey Devils Acquire Tyler Toffoli

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The New Jersey Devils have acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames, with the signing rights to RFA Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick (80th overall) headed to Alberta in return.

This move comes just after Toffoli made it clear to the Flames that he would not be signing a contract extension to remain in Calgary. The 31-year-old two-time Stanley Cup champion is playing out a $4.25MM AAV contract that will expire at the end of next season. By acquiring Toffoli, the Devils add the Flames’ leading scorer and a player who has crossed the 20-goal plateau seven times.

While the Flames as a team had an extremely disappointing season, Toffoli had one of the finest years of his career in 2022-23. Not only did he score 34 goals and 73 points, each career-high marks, he also captained Team Canada to victory at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships.

The acquisition of Toffoli signals a shift in focus for New Jersey that was all but confirmed when the team reached the playoffs and eliminated their arch-rival New York Rangers in the first round.

The long rebuild is over for the Devils, and the focus for GM Tom Fitzgerald is no longer on building for the future, it’s about assembling a Stanley Cup contender ready as soon as next season.

In adding Toffoli, the Devils’ hopes of going on a long playoff run have certainly increased. Toffoli’s been on quite a few of those, and he has triple the career playoff points of Tomas Tatar, the player he’s most directly replacing in New Jersey’s forward lineup. He may not be a long-term acquisition at 31 years old, but he’s an exceptional finisher and is easily improves the team’s group of forwards.

Seeing as Ondrej Palat, Dawson Mercer, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier are likely at this point in time to occupy the spots on the wing next to New Jersey’s two franchise centers, Toffoli could end up in a third-line role for the Devils. That would give the Devils an embarrassment of riches up front, potentially giving them three forward lines capable of creating offense at an impressive rate. At the very least, Toffoli’s addition gives head coach Lindy Ruff another talented scoring forward to plug into his lineup.

Sharangovich was unlikely to have a long-term future in New Jersey, given the whole host of young players that still need to sign contract extensions. Players such as Meier and in the future, Luke Hughes are likely to eat up quite a bit of the Devils’ future cap space, so with RFA negotiations set to take place this summer, it seems other players supplanted Sharangovich in New Jersey’s long-term plans.

For Calgary, losing Toffoli is undoubtedly disappointing but they do have an interesting player headed their way in Sharangovich. As he turned 25 earlier this month, he fits new GM Craig Conroy’s goal of getting younger and faster this offseason. He got a little lost in a crowded Devils forward group last year and scored a career-low 13 goals and 30 points, but in the prior two years when he had a larger role he scored at a 25-goal, 48-point pace.

If Sharangovich gets a chance to play with forward Jonathan Huberdeau, for example, he could take an even larger step forward offensively. He’s also decently versatile, with experience playing all three forward positions. Seeing as Toffoli is a widely respected player with an affordable cap hit, the Flames likely had no shortage of offers for his services.

Their acquisition of Sharangovich suggests they feel he can become an even greater player under their new head coach Ryan Huska. While it undoubtedly hurts to lose Toffoli, Sharangovich could be a player who lifts Flames fans out of their seats for years to come.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Tyler Toffoli

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Earlier today, we covered reports out of Calgary stating that several important Calgary Flames players, namely Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Mikael Backlund, were not planning to sign contract extensions to remain with the team beyond next season. Now, another name can be added to the list of likely-to-depart players: Tyler Toffoli.

DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Toffoli “plans on not re-signing in Calgary,” and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds “Calgary has made [Toffoli] available for trade.”

It’s another significant blow to the Flames’ hopes of Stanley Cup contention in the near future as the Flames are now readying for the possibility of trading their leading scorer from last season. Toffoli, 31, had a stellar 2022-23, setting a career-high of 34 goals and 73 points.

While he missed the postseason, the two-time Stanley Cup champion captained Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, with his third-period snipe on German netminder Mattias Niederberger effectively clinching the trophy for his country.

But while Toffoli seems to still be in the prime of his career and on a team that won a playoff series just a year ago, these reports indicate that he’s likely to continue his career elsewhere. He’s set to cost $4.25MM against the cap for one more season before hitting unrestricted free agency, and given his exceptional form last season he’d likely be a coveted player on the trade market.

There happens to be a useful comparable to project a potential Toffoli trade this summer: the 2021 deal that sent Toffoli to Calgary. He was coming off of a season where he scored at a 44-goal 69-point pace with the Montreal Canadiens and net his team a first-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and a solid prospect in Emil Heineman.

While Toffoli only has one year of team control left on his contract compared to the two-and-a-half years left on his deal at the time of the last trade, his increased offensive production is likely what will keep his trade value high.

One would imagine Calgary would be looking for a first-round pick as a starting point for any Toffoli trade, though with players such as Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, and MacKenzie Weegar already signed to long-term deals, it’s also feasible GM Craig Conroy might try to target NHL-ready players in return for Toffoli rather than draft compensation.

In any case, this news adds yet another challenge for Conroy to navigate in his first offseason as Brad Treliving’s successor in Calgary. It definitely isn’t an ideal situation for the franchise to be in, but thanks to Toffoli’s exceptional 2022-23 season the team could very well view trading the player as a valuable opportunity to improve the franchise’s long-term outlook rather than a difficult setback.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Calgary Flames Acquire Tyler Toffoli

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The Calgary Flames have been interested in Montreal Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli for some time, and they’ve finally landed their man. The team has sent a 2022 first-round pick, a 2023 fifth-round pick, prospect Emil Heinemann and forward Tyler Pitlick to the Canadiens in exchange for Toffoli. The first-round selection is top-10 protected, though with Calgary’s current position that seems unlikely to occur anyway. If they do end up with a top-10 pick, Calgary would instead send their 2023 first-round selection and an extra fourth-round pick in 2024. Chris Johnston of TSN adds that no salary has been retained in the deal.

Toffoli, 29, has been an excellent offensive piece since arriving in Montreal, recording 37 goals and 70 points in 89 games with the Canadiens. While only nine of those goals have come this season, almost all of the Canadiens’ forwards have seen a dip in production due to the weak overall play of the team. If there’s anyone in the league that knows exactly what Toffoli can bring to the ice it is Flames head coach Darryl Sutter, who coached the forward to a Stanley Cup championship in 2014 when both were with the Los Angeles Kings.

The fact that Calgary has an obvious hole on the right side in the top-nine also makes Toffoli a perfect addition, though he can sometimes be a tough player to fit in with certain linemates. A powerful skater, he’s not a particularly graceful or efficient one, and his offensive chances usually come from his top-notch hockey IQ and anticipation instead of raw tools. Should he join Calgary, Sutter and company would need to find a mix that maximizes those abilities.

Notably, Toffoli also doesn’t represent a deadline rental. Signed to a four-year, $17MM contract in the fall of 2020, he is signed through 2023-24 at a $4.25MM cap hit. That’s certainly a reasonable amount given his offensive upside and the Flames have more than enough money coming off the books at the end of the year to go shopping for players with term. Even if they can get a deal done with Johnny Gaudreau to keep him in Calgary, names like Nikita Zadorov and Erik Gudbranson are all pending unrestricted free agent who could be shed to create some additional flexibility.

That also could be a pointed look at how Montreal GM Kent Hughes is planning on moving forward with the current roster. He has hinted already that there would be substantial changes to the roster–not just rental sell-offs like Chiarot–as he looks to turn around the franchise. With this trade they’ve made the first major incision into the core group, carving out a key player for a package of futures.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic notes that the Canadiens were especially interested in Heineman, who they will still need to sign. The 20-year-old prospect arrived in the Calgary organization from the Florida Panthers in last year’s Sam Bennett trade after being selected in the second round in 2020. A forward that plays for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League, he has 16 points in 36 games. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic recently ranked Heineman as the seventh-best prospect in Calgary’s system.

Adding another first-round pick is also notable because this year’s draft is in Montreal. The team already had 11 picks and will likely add even more before the March 21 deadline, with players like Ben Chiarot still garnering interest. If you wanted to rebuild the entire system, that kind of a draft is the best way to start.

For Calgary though, a move like this shows just how invested they are in a long playoff run this season. The team could potentially lose Gaudreau to free agency, will have to work out a new deal with Matthew Tkachuk, and will no longer have luxuries like Oliver Kylington on a league-minimum contract after this season. They have all the pieces to contend for the Stanley Cup and Toffoli’s addition should only strengthen their lineup with some added secondary scoring.

By moving Pitlick out at the same time, the Flames also created enough room to avoid any cap issues. The biggest concern for most contenders–and enticing prospect for most sellers–is how difficult the flat cap has made it to add at the deadline. Calgary avoids having to pay a premium for salary retention, even if they are still handing out a fairly substantial package for the veteran forward. Pitlick happens to be joining his cousin Rem Pitlick with the Canadiens, who was claimed off waivers last month, but the newcomer could also be flipped if healthy at the deadline. Since he is a pending UFA, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Canadiens to keep him–Pitlick netted the Seattle Kraken a fourth-round pick last summer.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first tweeted that talks were picking up steam between the two clubs. 

East Notes: Toffoli, Sourdif, Palmieri, Arniel

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The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Toffoli will return to the lineup tonight, signifying that he has been activated from injured reserve.  He has missed the past six weeks due to a hand injury but despite that, he only slipped to third in team scoring as he has 17 points in 26 games.  Montreal doesn’t need to make a corresponding roster move to bring him off IR with the placements of Cole Caufield and Joel Armia in COVID protocol earlier today.  Defenseman Kale Clague was also activated from COVID protocol into the second roster spot.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Panthers prospect Justin Sourdif was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings from Vancouver at yesterday’s WHL trade deadline. A third-round pick in 2020, the winger has 32 points in 24 games this season and now goes to an Edmonton squad that is gearing up for a long playoff run.  Florida has already signed Sourdif to an entry-level contract, one that will slide this season and begin in 2022-23.
  • Islanders winger Kyle Palmieri hasn’t suffered a setback but head coach Barry Trotz told reporters including Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link) that his lower-body injury hasn’t been recovering as anticipated. He pegs the veteran’s health around 80-85% so it would appear Palmieri will be out for a little while longer.  The 30-year-old has struggled considerably this season with just one goal and six assists in 25 games.
  • Capitals assistant coach Scott Arniel has been placed in COVID protocol, reports Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll be away from the team for at least the next five days as a result.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Brendan Gallagher To Six-Year Extension

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So much for all of the perceived drama surrounding the Montreal Canadiens adding right wings Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson on long-term contracts while homegrown star winger Brendan Gallagher was entering the final year of his contract. Montreal’s recent moves apparently have nothing to do with their allegiance to Gallagher and reports that “talks had stalled” were clearly overblown. The team has announced that the two sides have agreed to a six-year, $39MM extension that will begin with the 2021-22 season. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds that the contract contains a full No-Movement Clause.

Gallagher, 28, was believed to be heading for free agency next summer for the first time in his career after it appeared that he and the Canadiens were not close on a new contract. Instead, the fan favorite will remain with Montreal through the 2026-27 season at an AAV of $6.5MM. The deal represents a sizeable increase over his current $3.75MM AAV, but it has been well earned. Gallagher played all 82 games and topped 50 points in back-to-back seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. He missed some time this past season, but still managed to record 43 points in 59 games, a 59-point pace over an 82-game season which would have been a career best. Given the offensive improvements that Montreal has made, not only off-season additions but in bringing up talented prospects as well, Gallagher could have 60+ point upside over much of the term of this new contract. That would result in this contract looking like a very fair value.

One concern that Montreal will have with Gallagher’s new deal is durability. Gallagher’s injury absence last season was due to a concussion and post-concussion symptoms, which is worrisome in its own right, but moving forward his 5’9″, 184-lb. frame may not hold up as well as he gets older. Gallagher plays an aggressive game and does not let his size hold him back, but he could be more of an injury risk down the line. With this extension already compensating him at his ceiling, the team hopes that they will get Gallagher at full strength as much as possible. Fortunately, he set a career high in ice time per game last season and shows no signs of slowing down in the immediate future.

The other note on Gallagher’s future in Montreal is of course the impending 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. While this new contract carries a full No-Movement Clause, the extension will not kick in until after expansion. As a result, Gallagher can still be exposed for Seattle to select next summer. The odds are slim that this will occur, but with so much money and term locked up at right wing, the Canadiens could get out from under Gallagher’s contract before it begins in the case of a poor performance this coming season.

 

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