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Tyler Toffoli thought (and would have liked) to stay longer in Montreal

 Manuel Sperandio-Lemay
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Tyler Toffoli thought (and would have liked) to stay longer in Montreal

Although Tyler Toffoli didn’t even spend two full years with the Habs, he quickly became a crowd favorite. The man who played an important role in the CH’s playoff run in the summer of 2021 scored goals by the ton in town, and above all, he had a charismatic personality.

The Canucks may have found him less charismatic in 2021, as the winger was scoring goals by the ton against them, but hey.

However, in February 2022, Kent Hughes traded him because the player’s value was high and the Tricolore was starting to rebuild. The return (a first-round pick and Emil Heineman, among others) was tempting, but it was a beloved guy who was leaving the club.

And in the end, it wasn’t just the fans who were sad: Toffoli would also have liked to stay in town longer. In fact, he expected to spend all four years of his contract in Montreal.

That’s what he revealed on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.

Our colleagues at HabsolumentFan also reported the news.

After his first year in Montreal, Toffoli was already in love with the city, and still has fond memories of it today. He loved walking the streets of the city (he particularly enjoyed Old Montreal and Griffintown), and his wife loved the experience too.

On the other hand, Toffoli knew that the fact that his value was good would probably send him elsewhere. The departures of Shea Weber and Carey Price forced the club to rebuild, and trading him was a good decision for the club’s future.

And when we look back today, it does indeed seem to have been a good bet for Kent Hughes. Emil Heineman and Filip Mesar are good prospects and, above all, younger than Toffoli, who is now 31.

I’d really like to have kept Toffoli, who was an excellent player during his time in town (and who just had a great season in Calgary), but he’s likely to slow down before the Tricolore’s next competitive window.

At the same time, Toffoli has enjoyed individual success in Calgary. What’s more, he’ll have the opportunity to aspire to the Stanley Cup this year, having been traded to the young New Jersey Devils, who seem ready to win right now.

His wealth of playoff experience should help his young club, having won the Stanley Cup and reached the finals with the CH in 2021.

It’s still nice to know he loved Montreal so much, though. Not every player wants to sign in the city, but Toffoli clearly doesn’t regret his decision, even if he may not have spent as much time in Montreal as he would have liked.

And who knows, maybe we’ll see him in a CH uniform again in a few years’ time…


Gossip

– Chantal Machabée joins the long list of people who have marked the passing of Yvon Pedneault.

– Devon Levi is ready for next season.

– Wow.

– He seems to have avoided the worst.

– Too bad.

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