Montreal Canadiens: When Tyler Toffoli Gets Traded Again, We Will See If Habs Jumped The Gun

The Montreal Canadiens hired a new general manager in January of 2022. It was clear the team needed a shakeup, even though they were in the Stanley Cup Final the previous season.

One of the first moves that Kent Hughes made after being hired was to trade Tyler Toffoli. Later in the season, he would trade players like Ben Chiarot and Brett Kulak whose contracts were about to be up. Dealing away pending free agents when the team is at the bottom of the standings is a no-brainer in the hockey world.

But trading players with term still on their contracts is a bit more risky. When Hughes traded Toffoli, he still had two more full seasons on his contract at a very reasonable cap hit of $4.25 million. He was also 29 years old at the time of the trade, so there was no reason to expect a drop-off in performance.

So, when the Canadiens dealt him for a first round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, prospect Emil Heineman, veteran winger Tyler Pitlick and a fifth round pick in 2023. Pitlick was a pending free agent playing out the final days of his NHL career and a fifth round pick is quite late so those two pieces had little value in the trade.

Essentially, Toffoli was traded for a first round pick and a prospect who would not be described as one of the team’s best. The Flames top prospects at the time were recent first round picks Jakob Pelletier, Connor Zary and Matt Coronato. Heineman was a recent second round pick who was plying his trade in Sweden. He scored 11 goals and 16 points in 38 SHL game that season and does not project to be a big scorer at the NHL level.

The Calgary Flames did not have a great season and are now dealing with a plethora of players who apparently want out. Toffoli is one of those players and the return on his next trade will be telling for the Canadiens. The Habs received a first round pick, which ended up being 22nd overall, and a B-level prospect for Toffoli.

If the Flames can get a better return for Toffoli this week, it would signal the Canadiens pulled the trigger a little quickly on moving Toffoli. He just scored 34 goals and 73 points with the Flames last season and both of those numbers represent career highs.

He still has one year left on his contract at a much lower number than his next contract will be. After a career season, the Flames are in a great spot to ask for more than they gave up for Toffoli a year and a half ago.

If they do, it will represent a bit of a missed opportunity for the Canadiens who may have sold Toffoli a little too quickly.

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