Now that it is made public that Tyler Toffoli doesn’t want to sign long-term with the Calgary Flames, the rumours will start to fly as to where he will end up. The fit between him and the Toronto Maple Leafs is near perfect. Maple Leafs’ general manager, Brad Treliving, brought Toffoli to the Flames in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens in 2022. This could be the main reason why Treliving and the Maple Leafs bring him to Toronto because they are familiar with each other and what the expectation is from Toffoli.
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Toffoli is a 31-year-old veteran on a $4.25 million contract for the next season, and could be a very valuable pick-up by the Maple Leafs. He also is a Stanley Cup winner in 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings, alongside current Leafs’ defenceman Jake Muzzin. Treliving is in a situation where he knows the window for the Maple Leafs to win isn’t closer to the end than the beginning and can make this team his own in his first offseason. There is no better way to do that, than by acquiring players that he has relationships with, similar to what former Maple Leafs’ general manager, Kyle Dubas did with the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds connection. So, let’s take a look at a few potential trade offers to acquire Toffoli from the Flames.
Trade Scenario 1:
Maple Leafs Receive: Tyler Toffoli (50% Salary Retention)
Flames Receive: Nick Robertson & 2024 3rd-Round Pick (NYI)
The first trade scenario only has the Maple Leafs acquiring Toffoli from the Flames. However, it is at 50% salary cap retention, which brings his cap hit down from $4.25 million to $2.125 million. That retained cap hit is much easier for the Maple Leafs to afford, especially since he can easily slide into the team’s top six and be a 25-30 goal contributor. Toffoli also brings experience from the 2014 Kings’ Cup run, when they were deemed the underdog in every series but somehow found a way to win the Cup. The Maple Leafs need to rely on guys like him who can show the core and younger players how to adjust to the adversity that comes with a long playoff run. With Toffoli’s cheap cap hit, it also allows the Maple Leafs to add in other areas of their team to help insulate Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Mitch Marner.
Going the other way in the trade is Nick Robertson and a 2024 third-round draft selection that is originally from the New York Islanders. The reason why this deal felt right is that the Flames now have three players who have been open about not wanting to re-sign Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm and the aforementioned Toffoli. This could be an indication that the Flames will do a small re-tool in hopes to incorporate some younger players on their roster. This is why Robertson makes sense in this trade; he needs a change of scenery and can revive his young career with the Flames. The pick going back to Calgary helps them down the road if their team goes in the direction of a full-on rebuild.
Trade Scenario 2:
Maple Leafs Receive: Tyler Toffoli (50% Salary Retenation) & Dan Vladar
Flames Receive: Nick Robertson, Bobby McMann, Rights to Erik Källgren & 2024 4th-Round Pick
This trade scenario isn’t too different than the first one, but it includes goaltender Dan Vladar, who could be an option for the Maple Leafs to share the net with the youngster Joseph Woll. Yes, the club has the rights to Ilya Samsonov, but we aren’t sure about the asking price, which makes the acquisition of Vladar very important. He is currently signed to a two-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $2.2 million, which could be at least $2 million cheaper than what Samsonov could command from the Maple Leafs.
Added to the deal going to the Flames is a very eager Bobby McMann, who showed in a small sample size with the Maple Leafs that he can play a depth role at the NHL level. If Calgary is looking for a player who throws the body, gets into the dirty areas and can score 20 points a year, then McMann could be that player for them. They also would receive the rights to Erik Källgren who also has proven he can be relied on when needed to win you games between the pipes. This trade also allows the Flames to finally promote Dustin Wolf to the NHL to back up Jacob Markstrom. Källgren could be the American Hockey League (AHL) starter as well as the third goalie for their organization. This trade also includes a 2024 fourth-round pick as compensation for retaining 50% of Toffoli’s contract.
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Overall, the Maple Leafs should make acquiring Toffoli a priority this offseason, he is a guy who knows how to win and can be a part of the leadership group. But he can also give the team 50 points and fits on the second line alongside Tavares and Marner. As mentioned before, trading for him at 50% retained also allows the team to spend money on other players, such as Noel Acciari, Luke Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly, all of which are deemed valuable to the team.
