Ex-Flames forward Tyler Toffoli is off to a blazing hot start with Devils
The Calgary Flames management team may soon come to regret trading Tyler Toffoli this offseason.
In what was an ugly 2022-23 season for the Flames, Toffoli was one of the few bright spots, leading the team with 34 goals and 73 points. The 31-year-old had just one year remaining on his contract but was believed to be willing to sign an extension. However, with talks failing to happen, he grew irritated and requested a trade.
The Flames granted him his wish in the offseason, shipping him off to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round draft pick. While it is very early, this deal appears to be one the Flames may come to regret.
Through seven games this season, the Flames have scored just 17 goals, as they are once again failing to get offensive contributions from their top stars. Sharangovich hasn’t done much to support them, as he has just a goal and two points through seven games. Toffoli, on the other hand, is continuing to fill the net in New Jersey.
Toffoli had his best game since becoming a Devil last night, as he scored a hat trick in a 5-2 victory over one of his former teams, the Montreal Canadiens. He now has four goals through five games which ties him for the team lead with Jack Hughes, while his six points have him sitting in third alongside Dougie Hamilton.
While there is little a team can do once a player has requested a trade, the fact that Toffoli was originally willing to re-sign makes you wonder why the two sides couldn’t have worked out a deal beforehand. It is hard to think that age was a factor, as the Flames recently signed 34-year-old Mikael Backlund to an extension, and are looking to do the same with 28-year-old Elias Lindholm. Whatever the reasoning was, this trade may be one that Craig Conroy winds up looking back on as a mistake.
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