Toffoli has done his job with 26 goals and 18 assists. However, the Devils haven't held up their end of the bargain and with Toffoli's ability to test the free-agent market, Tom Fitzgerald decided to get something for Toffoli as he shipped him to the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline.
New Jersey will receive the Jets' third-rounder in the 2024 draft and Winnipeg's second-round pick in 2025.
The Devils will pay half of Toffoli's contract for the remainder of the season as part of the trade.
Toffoli did his job as a force around the net but he's not a strong skater and on a team built around speed, there were times that Toffoli's skating was a hindrance and made one wonder how good of a fit with the team.
All of that said, it's tough to turn down a guy who puts the puck in the net consistently but the Devils and Toffoli weren't close to a contract extension, so moving him makes sense, especially when you consider the Devils gave a third-rounder and Yegor Sharangovich for Toffoli to begin.
Sharangovich has scored twenty-five goals for Calgary this season but he struggled last season and it's hard to criticize the team for including him in the trade, so this is good value for Toffoli, all things considered- good value but not great.
Some trades just don't work out and it's not always on the player, Toffoli put up the numbers that the Devils expected but he didn't exceed them although it wasn't due to a lack of effort.
Was it Lindy Ruff?
Maybe, hard to say but the Devils have something for a player that they would have lost for nothing in a month after a non-playoff season.
It may be grasping for straws but it is something.
Tom Fitzgerald wasn't finished dealing with the Devils making three more trades.
I'll be working on these over the next day or so.
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