Canadiens deal Toffoli to Flames for package including 1st-round pick
Tyler Toffoli is heading back out West.
The Montreal Canadiens traded the 29-year-old winger to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick, a 2023 fifth-rounder, prospect Emil Heineman, and forward Tyler Pitlick, both teams announced Monday.
The 2022 first-round selection is top-10 protected, so if it doesn't convey, the Canadiens will get a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Toffoli was a bright spot for a struggling Montreal team this season with nine goals and 17 assists in 37 games. He led all Canadiens skaters with 44 points in 2020-21 and was a key player during their Stanley Cup Final run.
"(Toffoli's) a proven scorer in this league. He can touch every part of the game - five-on-five, power play, penalty kill - and with the pedigree that he has, I think he's going to be a great addition to our team," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika.
"The players have done their job," Treliving added. "It was time for me to do mine, and part of that is giving them some help."
Treliving noted that Toffoli would arrive in Calgary by Monday night, but it's up to Flames head coach Darryl Sutter to decide whether Toffoli plays during Calgary's back-to-back set against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks that begins Tuesday.
The Ontario native has two campaigns remaining on his deal, which carries a $4.25-million cap hit. He signed the four-year pact with the Habs in 2020 as a free agent.
Toffoli has spent the bulk of his career on the West Coast. He played his first seven-plus NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings after they selected him in the second round of the 2010 draft. Toffoli then played the rest of the 2019-20 campaign with Vancouver after being traded to the Canucks.
Not only will the sniper shore up the Flames' scoring depth, but he also has experience playing for Sutter. The pair won a Stanley Cup together in 2014 when Sutter coached the Kings.
At least one of Toffoli's teammates from his time in L.A. is excited to reunite with him in Calgary. Flames bruiser Milan Lucic, who played with Toffoli on the Kings during the 2015-16 season, expressed his enthusiasm on social media.
Reunited @tytoff16 @catbtoffoli pic.twitter.com/24kwdx1b9w
- Milan Lucic (@27MilanLucic) February 14, 2022
The Florida Panthers selected Heineman in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Florida traded his rights to the Flames as part of the Sam Bennett deal.
The 20-year-old forward, who's unsigned, currently plays for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League. He has 16 points in 36 games so far this campaign.
Pitlick, 30, put up two assists in 25 contests with the Flames in 2021-22. The impending unrestricted free agent carries a $1.75-million cap hit.
Toffoli will have a chance to play his former team March 3 when the Flames and Canadiens square off in Calgary.
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