The New Jersey Devils have acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick.
The big trade signals the first domino in what is sure to be an eventful Flames off-season, with reports that a trio of veterans in Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanafin, and Elias Lindholm — all of whom are headed into the final years of their contracts — could soon follow suit.
It’s the first big move for new Flames GM Craig Conroy who took over control of the team this off-season. Conroy told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis Tuesday that Toffoli had a change of heart about remaining with the team two weeks ago.
“He (originally) expressed maybe being here and something happening quickly, and when it didn’t… there are so many moving parts and he wanted a change,” Conroy said. “That’s not why we did anything. We’ve just got to make sure guys want to be here and that’s the direction we went.”
Meanwhile, Toffoli told Francis that he did want to sign an extension with the Flames, but after no conversations happened, he felt it was time to move in a different direction.
“I was waiting for an extension conversation and there was none coming and didn’t feel like there was one in the future,” Toffoli said. “It didn’t sound like there was any sort of need for me, or want in a way, so it was a personal decision. I thought it was time for myself and my wife to experience something different and move forward.”
In Toffoli, the Devils acquire a sniper coming off a career year in Calgary. The 31-year-old notched a career-high 34 goals and 73 points last season on a disappointing Flames squad, both of which were high-water marks for the club.
As is the case for his former teammates, Toffoli is headed into the final year of his $4.25 million AAV contract.
In exchange, the Flames acquired the rights to pending restricted free agent Yegor Sharangovich, as well as the 80th overall selection Wednesday night’s NHL Entry Draft.
The 25-year-old Belarusian forward is coming off a down year for the Devils, tallying just 13 goals and 30 points after he eclipsed the 20-goal plateau the season prior. He’s expected to earn a pay bump on a deal that paid him $2 million last season.
“Good size, skates well, can score. He’s a shooter, that’s his MO,” Conroy said when asked to describe his new player.