This past off-season, GM Tom Fitzgerald and the New Jersey Devils acquired stud winger Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a third-round pick and forward Yegor Sharangovich. Fast forward about nine months, and the Devils might be looking to move Toffoli as their playoff hopes dwindle with each coming day. Toffoli, 31, leads the team in goals (26) and power-play goals (eight) and sits third in total points (44). Should the Devils pack it in for the season and decide to sell Toffoli rather than extend him, he should be an incredibly enticing option for contending teams in the market for a winger, especially at a reasonable $4.25 million cap hit that could be retained.
Edmonton Oilers
On his podcast “Insider Trading,” Hockey pundit Darren Dreger noted that the Edmonton Oilers have asked the Devils about Toffoli’s availability. It makes sense for the Oilers, who lack right-wing depth past Zach Hyman — there’s certainly room for improvement on the second line alongside Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Toffoli would add a nice scoring boost to a powerhouse Oilers team that has taken the league by storm since their abysmal 2-9-2 start to the season.
It would also make sense for the Devils to consider the Oilers as a trade partner for Toffoli should they call it quits for a playoff push. It’s long been reported that defenseman prospect Philip Broberg has been on the market and looking for a change in scenery, and it’s possible that they’re willing to part ways with Xavier Bourgeault or Beau Akey as well. On top of that, the Oilers also have their first and second-round picks in this year’s draft, though they are missing their third and fourth-rounders. Warren Foegele might be an enticing option for the Devils, too, and might be in need of a change of scenery as well.
Vegas Golden Knights
On that very same episode of “Insider Trading,” Dreger reported that the Vegas Golden Knights, too, had phoned the Devils about Toffoli. It makes sense — with Mark Stone out for the rest of the regular season; the Golden Knights have a good bit of cap space to work with and a gaping hole on the right side. Toffoli would fill the void nicely or, at the very least, provide a bit more mobility and depth to the squad currently rocking with Michael Amadio on the second line. They’ve struggled to score at times, too, sitting at just 14th in the league in goals per game despite being top-10 in the league standings.
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The Golden Knights have some interesting pieces for the Devils, too — namely, Brendan Brisson and Pavel Dorofeyev, two young wingers who can and have played both sides and have potential as middle-six contributors. More importantly, Vegas has all their picks for the 2024 NHL draft except their fourth-rounder. It’s possible, too, that the Devils look at young NHLers Paul Cotter and Nicolas Hague should Vegas be serious about their inquiry.
New York Rangers
I know, I know. Trading your top goal scorer to your biggest rival might seem like a bad idea, but it could make sense for both sides. For the Rangers, they’d be getting a legitimate top-six right winger, filling a role that’s currently being taken up by habitual underperformer Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere, who has been better this year but still should be finding the scoresheet much more, considering he’s playing alongside Hart Trophy candidate Artemi Panarin. There have been times this year when the Rangers relied on career fourth-liner Jimmy Vesey to take top-line duties on the right wing. Toffoli certainly fits the bill for the position that they need the most.
For the Devils, the Rangers have a couple of pieces that might make more sense for their contention window than someone on the wrong side of 30. Should the Rangers commit to a Stanley Cup push, borderline NHL-ready prospects Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard may be made available. If they throw a pick on top of it, it should be enticing enough for Fitzgerald not to hang up immediately by proxy of it being their biggest adversary. I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing Othmann in red and black.
Indecision Heading Into the Trade Deadline
There’s still the chance that the Devils make a push for the playoffs and decide to hold on to their top goal scorer. They’re just a few points out of a playoff spot, and anything can happen in hockey. There should be a more solidified picture of Fitzgerald’s game plan in five days when the Devils have played three more games. It’ll be an interesting week for New Jersey.
