Photo: sunburst
The New Jersey Devils acquired right winger Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night in exchange for suspended free agent lefty Yegor Sharangovich and the 80th pick overall in the 2023 NHL Draft on Thursday. Toffoli could become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-24 season and carry a salary cap of $4.5 million for the final year of his contract.
The 31-year-old was one of several Flames (defender Noah Hanifen, center Elias Lindholm, center Mikael Backlund) whose contract expires on July 1, 2024 and was reluctant to re-sign with the club. Johnny Goudreau (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) both left Calgary last July to sign long-term deals with American teams.
Tofoli set career highs in goals (34), assists (39), and points (73) in 82 games during his only full season in Calgary, which he acquired from the Montreal Canadiens on February 14, 2022. He also posted a 59.33 expected goals percentage in Five out of five this past season.
In 733 career regular season games with the Calgary, Montreal, Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks, Toffoli had 227 goals and 466 points. He scored 30 goals once before the 2022-23 season (31 in 82 games for Los Angeles during the 2015-16 season).
In 88 postseason games, Toffoli had 18 goals and 44 points. He won the Stanley Cup in 2014 with Los Angeles and helped Montreal reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
Toffoli should bolster a New Jersey offense that averaged 3.52 goals per game (tied for fourth in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken) and converted in 21.9% of his power plays (13th) last season. He averaged 2:54 on the power play, just one second behind quarterback Nazem Qadri to put Calgary ahead between the two forwards, and 36 seconds on the penalty kick (seventh). New Jersey is tied with Calgary and the Nashville Predators for the fourth-best penalty taking efficiency (82.6%).
While New Jersey was among the top-scoring teams during the regular season, they held five goals in four games during their second-round series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs with the exception of an 8-4 win in Game 3 • Toffoli’s scoring ability should provide a boost Offensively big.
Sharanjović, 25, scored 13 goals, 30 points, and a 57.55% five-goal-for-five percentage in 75 regular season games, but played only three of his team’s 12 postseason games, and was held off the goal list. In 205 regular season games, he has 53 goals and 106 points, including 24 goals and 46 points in 76 games during the 2021-22 season.
Igor Sharanjović, acquired by CGY, is a six-man midfielder whose game revolves around rushing. # flames pic.twitter.com/kPjP2FkupE
– JFresh (JFresh Hockey) June 28, 2023
By Harrison Brown