From his enthusiasm to his electrifying offense, Tyler Toffoli was beloved by Montreal fans in his time with the Canadiens.
Unfortunately, his stint with the team was short-lived.
Signing a four-year, $17 million contract as a free agent in 2020, Toffoli played a pivotal role in getting the Habs to the playoffs, netting 28 goals and 44 points over 52 games, during the adapted 2020-2021 season.
And when the 2021 postseason arrived, the 31-year-old continued to light the lamp, scoring 14 points, including the series-winning goal in Round 2 against the Winnipeg Jets.
In a recent interview on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Toffoli touched on his fond memories with the team along with his departure via trade in February 2022.
“We kind of just decided that we wanted to give Montreal a shot, and my wife wanted to go there,” he said when asked about choosing to sign with the Canadiens. “I thought I was going to be there for four years. And after that first season, I was like ‘this is gonna be awesome.'”
But as many fans recall, things went south for the team shortly after they were eliminated in the Stanley Cup Final. Toffoli pointed to the potentially career-ending injuries of captain Shea Weber and star goalie Carey Price as major reasons for the launch of the Habs’ rebuild.
“Webby [Shea Weber] got hurt and had to shut it down. And Pricer [Carey Price] too. it was just like, the worst thing that could have happened,” the Scarborough, Ontario, native explained.
And like many of Montreal’s veteran players, Toffoli was moved to a contender when he was dealt to the Calgary Flames for a pair of players and draft picks ahead of the 2022 trade deadline.
“I had the trade value and they made the decision to move me,” he said. “But we enjoyed our time in Montreal.”
Still singing the city’s praises, Toffoli, who was recently traded to the New Jersey Devils, has fond memories of walking around Montreal’s historic neighbourhoods.
“The city is awesome. It was nice walking around and like I said, my wife loved it,” he said. “We walked everywhere, every day through all of Old Montreal and Griffintown.”