Toffoli reunion with Canucks unlikely but other forward trade targets emerge: reports
The Vancouver Canucks are still trying to add a winger before today’s 12 pm PT trade deadline. However, recent reports suggest that a reunion with Tyler Toffoli is starting to look increasingly unlikely.
The 31-year-old has 26 goals already this season and therefore the acquisition cost would be quite high.
“I understand New Jersey has got several offers for Toffoli and they’re mulling over them right now. I do think that you guys were in on that, expressed interest, and I think that’s going to end up being higher than you guys want to go,” said Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman about the Canucks pursuit of Toffoli on this morning’s edition of the Halford & Brough show.
Toffoli played with the Canucks briefly during the 2019-20 season and showed great chemistry with some of the team’s top players. He finished his time with the team with 10 points in 10 games.
“I could always be wrong about that but I don’t think it’s going to be Toffoli. So now I think you guys are going to go into the next wave of wingers. Jason Zucker, I know you guys have had interest in him, I know you guys have spoken to Arizona about him,” continued Friedman on the Halford & Brough show. “He’s a guy who is on your radar. The other wingers in that Jason Zucker mold are going to be the guys you’re going to go after.”
The 32-year-old Zucker has nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 51 games so far this season. He scored 27 goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and is a familiar face for Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford.
NHL insider Irfaan Gaffar also presented the challenges that the Canucks face in making a Toffoli trade work on social media this morning, both in terms of the high acquisition cost and salary cap issues.
Toffoli would be big game hunting for the Canucks if they can make it work. Acquisition cost could be high + you might need a third team to make $ work. Jason Zucker is someone they’ll check in on again. Alexander Barabanov and Victor Olofsson are of interest as well to VAN.
— Irfaan Gaffar (@irfgaffar) March 8, 2024
Gaffar also mentioned Zucker, who carries a cap hit of $5.3 million, as a target for the Canucks. Some other names included are San Jose Sharks forward Alexander Barabanov and Buffalo Sabres forward Victor Olofsson.
Barabanov has 10 points in 38 games this season while Olofsson has 13 points in 37 games.
We are just hours away from the trade deadline and it’s clear that the Canucks are very much involved in negotiations. While they may not be adding a big fish, there are wingers on the market that are of interest.