New Jersey Devils: Ranking 10 Best Free Agent Fits
By Nick Villano
9. Tyler Toffoli
Most analysts haven’t been paying much attention to Tyler Toffoli. That’s because it appeared he was bound to re-sign with the Vancouver Canucks, who spent a lot to get him from the Los Angeles Kings. However, we’re less than one week away from the start of free agency, and there’s no deal. There aren’t even rumors of an impending deal. Toffoli is this close to free agency. It appears he’s going to make it there.
Toffoli is a free agent we haven’t considered, but he’s a very interesting piece. He never really hit his ceiling with the Los Angeles Kings. He was a 30-goal scorer early in his career, but he never found the same scoring touch on recent Los Angeles Kings teams. It could have something to do with the talent level of the Kings plummeting, but great players can overcome that.
The Devils should still be very interested in a forward who can consistently score 20 goals in the right offense. It all comes down to price. If he asks for around $5 million, then the Devils could swallow that for three or four years. If he’s asking for $6 million and more term, the Devils can’t take that kind of chance on a player like Toffoli. Maybe he needs to find a place where it all clicks, but New Jersey has very rarely been that place for players.
This deal has a chance to be a problem if it’s a major overpayment, but for the right price, Toffoli could be one of the better options for the Devils. He’s low on the list because the price is a problem that can’t be overcome. If they Devils overpay, it’s a bad deal from day one.