The Winnipeg Jets acquired veteran forward Tyler Toffoli from the New Jersey Devils ahead of March 8 in a bold trade-deadline move, but the franchise will probably say goodbye to him in July 2024, just months after adding him to the team.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported on Friday, May 24, that Toffoli will enter free agency at the start of July.
“It’s time for the goal machine known as Tyler Toffoli to finally get paid,” LeBrun wrote. “And while he enjoyed his time in Winnipeg after the trade this season, he’s headed to market, which is not surprising.”
Toffoli split this season between New Jersey and Winnipeg, with the former franchise deciding to move him ahead of the deadline once the Devils realized they were going to miss on making the playoffs.
The Jets clinched a postseason berth at the end of the regular season but lost their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche 1-4.
Tyler Toffoli Should Sign Top-Money Contract Following Bargain Deal
Toffoli turned 32 in April 2024. He is coming off completing a deal LeBrun (and most people) considered “a bargain.” It’s a 4-year contract worth $17 million.
“[The] last time he went to the UFA market was in that wonky October 2020 pandemic year, and between the flat cap and other circumstances, he was a Day 3 bargain for Montreal, signing a four-year deal at a $4.25 million AAV,” LeBrun wrote.
In the 2023-24 season, Toffoli scored 33 goals and 22 assists, totaling 55 points in 79 games playing for the Devils and the Jets. On top of that, Toffoli played all five postseason games the Jets lasted scoring 2 goals against the Avs.
Since the 2020 offseason when he signed with the Canadiens, Toffoli has scored 115 goals in 287 games for Montreal, the Calgary Flames, the Devils, and the Jets for an average of 33 goals per 82 games.
The Devils traded Toffoli in exchange for futures despite his effective stint with them (26 goals and 44 points).
New Jersey snatched a couple of draft picks (a 3rd Rounder in 2024 and a 2nd Rounder in 2025) from Winnipeg, and given the outcome of both franchises’ seasons, it’s fair to say the Devils might have won the trade.
Devils, Kings, Canucks & Predators Linked to Tyler Toffoli
The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported the same information as LeBrun in a story published on May 24.
“Scoring winger Tyler Toffoli is planning to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent July 1, according to TFP’s David Pagnotta. On Thursday (May 23), Pagnotta reported Toffoli will be moving on from the Winnipeg Jets after joining the club prior to the trade deadline from the New Jersey Devils.”
The report published over TFP mentioned the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks as potential suitors for the veteran forward. The Kings, for what’s worth, drafted Toffoli with the No. 47 pick of the 2010 NHL draft.
“The Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks, two of Toffoli’s former teams, expressed interest in him during the season and could be among the clubs that pursue him this July,” The Fourth Period’s article reads.
LeBrun didn’t mention the Kings or the Canucks in his report, but wondered if the Nashville Predators could enter Toffoli’s sweepstakes in July, writing “Don’t the Nashville Predators need offense?”
The Devils, Toffoli’s second most recent team, could also try to acquire the player back in the summer once he enters unrestricted free agency, according to James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now.
“A reunion with Toffoli isn’t impossible, although it seems unlikely,” Nichols wrote after quoting Devils’ General Manager Tom Fitzgerald speaking about Toffoli’s trade in March 2024.
“Tyler is a great kid. I would do that trade seven days, twice on Sunday over again,” Fitzgerald said on March 9. “He’s our leading scorer. Great in the locker room. He’s everything I thought he would be. A player that I have interest in the off-season if he’s interested in New Jersey.”
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Jets’ Stanley Cup Champion, ‘Headed to Market’: Report