LATEST | Devils' GM issues a statement regarding former Canuck Tyler Toffoli

PUBLICATION

Luc Leblanc
March 5, 2024 (6:11 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Canucks fans surely remember the brief stint Tyler Toffoli had with the club at the tail end of the 2019-20 season. In the first season of NHL hockey affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Toffoli scored 10 points in 10 games with the team and aided them in their playoff run.

Toffoli, an eight-time 20-goal scorer, currently leads the New Jersey Devils with 26 goals in 60 games in his first season with the team. He was traded following a career-best 73-point campaign in 2022-23 with Calgary.

In a tumultuous season for the Devils, most recently firing head coach Lindy Ruff on Monday, GM Tom Fitzgerald has made it abundantly clear that the team will not be shopping the two-time Stanley Cup champion.

If you trade your leading [goal]-scorer, you're throwing in the towel.

Toffoli ranks fourth on the Devils in points, behind Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes. Given Toffoli's age (31) compared to most of the team's roster, it makes sense to consider his expendability. However, Devils management sees the value he brings to the team.

I'm not shopping Tyler Toffoli. Tyler and I sat together in L.A. We had a great talk.

Under the contract he signed in the summer of 2020 with the Montreal Canadiens, Toffoli makes an average of just 4.25 million dollars. He will become a UFA on July 1st.