Montreal Canadiens Five Best Free Agent Signings In Habs History

Tyler Toffoli

It wasn’t a July 1 signing because the calendar was already way out of whack, but Toffoli signed with the Canadiens as a free agent before the 2020-21 season. He inked a four year contract with an annual cap hit of $4.25 million.

He was coming off a season where he scored 24 goals and 44 points in 68 games split between the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks. He added ten points in ten postseason games for the Canucks, adding to an already impressive playoff resume that included a Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014.

In his first (and only full) season with the Habs, Toffoli played 52 of the team’s 56 games in the shortened Covid season and had 28 goals. It was the second highest total of his career and he did it in about two-thirds of a real season. He finished the season with 44 points and was the team’s leading scorer.

More importantly, Toffoli played great in the playoffs on a top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The two youngsters were getting their first taste of extended playoff action and had a seasoned veteran on their wing to guide them along. They made a lengthy run to the Stanley Cup Final, with Toffoli scoring 14 points in 22 games.

This season, Toffoli started with nine goals and 26 points in 37 games before being traded to the Calgary Flames for a 2022 1st round pick, Emil Heineman, Tyler Pitlick and a 2023 5th round pick.

In total, he played 89 regular season games with the Habs and scored 37 goals and 70 points. For $4.25 million per year that is incredible value and the fact he was able to net the team a first round pick and a decent prospect is just aded future value that would exist without the free agent signing.

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