Flames trade Tyler Toffoli to Devils for Sharangovich, third-round pick
Posted Jun 27, 2023 6:01 pm.
Last Updated Jun 27, 2023 6:02 pm.
The Calgary Flames have traded forward Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick.
???? TRADE ALERT ????
We have acquired Tyler Toffoli from Calgary in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich and our 2023 3rd Round Draft Pick.
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— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 27, 2023
The blockbuster trade signals the first domino in what is sure to be an eventful Flames off-season, with reports that a trio of veterans in Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanafin, and Elias Lindholm — all of whom are headed into the final years of their contracts — could soon follow suit.
It’s the first big move for new Flames GM Craig Conroy, who took over control of the team this off-season.
Conroy told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis Tuesday that Toffoli had a change of heart about remaining with the team two weeks ago.
“He (originally) expressed maybe being here and something happening quickly, and when it didn’t… there are so many moving parts, and he wanted a change,” Conroy said. “That’s not why we did anything. We’ve just got to make sure guys want to be here, and that’s the direction we went.”
Conroy said Toffoli told him of his change of heart 2 weeks ago.
"He (originally) expressed maybe being here and something happening quickly, and when it didn’t… there are so may moving parts and he wanted a change. That’s not why we did anything. We’ve just got to make sure…— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) June 27, 2023
In Toffoli, the Devils acquire a sniper coming off a career year in Calgary. The 31-year-old notched a career-high 34 goals and 73 points last season on a disappointing Flames squad, both of which were high-water marks for the club.
As is the case for his former teammates, Toffoli is headed into the final year of his $4.25 million AAV contract.
In exchange, the Flames acquired the rights to pending restricted free agent Yegor Sharangovich, as well as the 80th overall selection Wednesday night’s NHL Entry Draft.
The 25-year-old Belarusian forward is coming off a down year for the Devils, tallying just 13 goals and 30 points after he eclipsed the 20-goal plateau the season prior. He’s expected to earn a pay bump on a deal that paid him $2 million last season.
“Good size, skates well, can score. He’s a shooter, that’s his MO,” Conroy said when asked to describe his new player.
