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Ranking the Rankings: Did ESPN Get New Jersey Devils Top 100 Rankings Right?

By Nick Villano

Apr 24, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Akira Schmid (40) celebrates with center Jack Hughes (86) and center Nico Hischier (13) after defeating the New York Rangers in game four of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Akira Schmid (40) celebrates with center Jack Hughes (86) and center Nico Hischier (13) after defeating the New York Rangers in game four of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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New Jersey Devils
Tyler Toffoli #73 of the New Jersey Devils. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Tyler Toffoli
ESPN Ranking: 65
Too High, Too Low, Just Right?: Too High

Let’s start with some positives. We loved the Tyler Toffoli trade when it went down. He is such a good fit for this team. He has enough speed to keep up with the great centers on this team. His scoring prowess is hard to find on the open market. The Devils were able to get Toffoli because of the tumultuous situation left by Darryl Sutter in Calgary. That’s also why the Devils got him for just Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick.

Toffoli got his first goal with the Devils on Friday night. He clearly felt the monkey come off his back, and now he could be a scoring machine. That’s what this ranking is suggesting. Toffoli is coming off a 34-goal season. That’s also why Toffoli is here.

However, Toffoli hasn’t been entirely consistent in his career. Despite being in his 12th season in the NHL, he only has two 30-goal seasons. His last 30-goal season prior to last season was way back in 2015-16.

Toffoli has been good in his stops in Montreal and Calgary. He hit his stride after a lot of hype in Los Angeles. He is a good player, but the writers have to look at his past when looking at his rankings. Toffoli is ranked higher than Alex DeBrincat, who could be jumping in the top 20 if we did the rankings today.

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