Rumor: Tyler Toffoli Heading To Calgary?

Of course the main topic of conversation regarding the Montreal Canadiens is the hiring of Martin St. Louis as the new head coach. One topic however that has gone under the radar but has started to gain tons of traction since Thursday is a trade involving the Canadiens and the Calgary Flames regarding winger Tyler Toffoli.

Elliott Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show had this to say about the rumors of Toffoli being shipped out west.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet960/status/1491500107027599368?s=20&t=SfkohFtfQYKop_yrw4xyIw

Given that Toffoli would be a perfect fit for the Flames who are looking for secondary scoring, word around the water cooler is that Kent Hughes will be taking advantage of this and get as high a return as possible.

The name of Sean Monahan has been linked to the Canadiens for a while now and although shipping him off to Montreal would make sense for the Flames cap wise ($6.375 million for the next two seasons), Monahan controls his destiny as he has a 10-team no trade list he must submit. Furthermore, despite Kent Hughes being open to a trade involving NHL players in return, it would take a lot more than just Monahan to give away Tyler Toffoli who sits on an extremely friendly contract with a $4.25 million cap for the next two seasons. It would probably take a 1st round pick to settle the cap discrepancy and Monahan’s disappointing streak since last season, as well as some puff pieces like Artturi Lehkonen and Dillon Dube to even things out.

Of course the name that has popped up the most often is the one of prospect Jakob Pelletier. The Quebec City native is producing at a near point per game pace with the Stockton Heat in the AHL registering 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 37 games thus far this season. Paired with a first round pick, things start to become a little bit more interesting as the former 26th overall pick in 2019 has shown tremendous playmaking abilities in his junior years despite his 5 foot 10, 170 pound frame.

Both options can work as both teams have the necessary cap space to make these deals work. Of course, as we approach the March 21st trade deadline, more cap space becomes available potentially opening things up for a bigger trade.

Toffoli has stated that he does want to stay in Montreal and be part of the solution. However, he doesn’t have any restrictions in his contract that would prevent him from being traded.

What about you? Who should the Flames cough up in order to get Tyler Toffoli? Comment below!