Tyler Toffoli just made a very big statement about the Montreal Canadiens
PUBLICATION
Elias Edmonson
August 26, 2023 (11:54)
With the arrival of the new management team, comprised of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, the organization set out on a roster rebuild, trading away some key pieces of its current lineup to get younger.
Because of his high trade market value, on February 14, 2022, Hughes let go of a veteran and a player much loved by Montreal fans in Toffoli, essentially in exchange for a first-round pick and prospect Emil Heineman.
While guesting on the popular podcast Spittin' Chiclets, number 73 made a powerful statement about his time in Montreal and his departure from the team.
"We kind of decided that we wanted to give Montreal a shot, and my wife wanted to go there. I thought I was going to stay there for four years. And after that first season, I thought, 'this is going to be great." - Tyler Toffoli
Many will remember his first season with the Habs was a Cinderella-story run to the Stanley Cup Final. However, the hangover from that success was brutal, culminating in one of the worst seasons in the history of the Canadiens.
"Webby [Shea Weber] got injured and had to stop. And Pricer [Carey Price] as well. It was like the worst thing that could have happened happened. [...] I had good trade value and they made the decision to trade me. But we enjoyed our time in Montreal. [...] The city is awesome. It was nice to walk around and as I said, my wife loved it. We walked everywhere, every day, throughout Old Montreal and Griffintown." - Tyler Toffoli
In the end, as much as we would have loved to keep Toffoli, who had an incredible season with 28 goals and 44 points in 52 games in his first season with the CH, Hughes made the right decision in trading him for future assets likely to earn a spot in the lineup soon.
As for the 31-year-old winger, who will be in the last year of his contract signed with Marc Bergevin in 2020, he will don the New Jersey Devils uniform this year, following a career-best season with 34 goals and 73 points in 82 games.
| POLL |
26 AOUT | 822 ANSWERS Tyler Toffoli just made a very big statement about the Montreal Canadiens Would you have liked the Canadiens to retain Tyler Toffoli's services? |
| Yes | 526 | 64 % |
| No, we got a good return | 168 | 20.4 % |
| No, we needed to rebuild | 128 | 15.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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