Tyler Toffoli just made a big statement concerning the Montreal Canadiens

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Elias Edmonson
September 10, 2023 (2:12 PM)

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Although Marc Bergevin signed a few bad contract extensions before being dismissed from his duties, the former general manager of the Canadiens still made some very good moves. Indeed, the addition of Tyler Toffoli in 2020, who signed a four-season agreement with an annual value of 4.25 million dollars, was possibly his best addition in the free agent market.

Quickly becoming a key element within the Montreal lineup, the former number 73 of the Tricolore collected an impressive total of 37 goals and 33 assists (70 points) in 89 games. Notably, he was an offensive pillar during the team's journey to the Stanley Cup finals in 2021, accumulating 14 points in 22 matches.

However, much to the dismay of CH fans, Kent Hughes made Tyler Toffoli his first big transaction when he was hired by the organization, thus prematurely ending his tenure with the Canadiens. In return, Montreal acquired Tyler Pitlick, Emil Heineman as well as a first-round pick, which later became Filip Mesar.

Moreover, during his appearance on the «Spittin Chiclets» podcast hosted by Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette, Tyler Toffoli admitted that he did not expect to be traded at all, having greatly enjoyed his first season with the Tricolore.

«We kind of decided that we wanted to give Montreal a chance, 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

Of course, after an exceptional season where the Canadiens unfortunately fell in the grand finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the second year was more difficult. However, even though the Montreal team had much less success in 2021-2022, the forward continued to praise the city of Montreal, adding that he and his wife loved their stay there.

He also confirmed having no regrets about signing with the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, understanding very well why he had been traded while Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes wanted to start a rebuilding process aiming to rejuvenate the team's lineup.

«Webby got hurt and had to stop. And Pricer too. It was like the worst thing that could happen happened. I had good trade value and they made the decision to trade me. But we enjoyed our stay in Montreal. The city is great. 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

For sure, we are very happy to see that the former Tricolore forward greatly appreciated his experience with the organization. After his best season in his career, a harvest of 34 goals and 39 assists (73 points) in 82 games, Toffoli will spend the last year of his four-season contract. Traded for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick this summer, he will try to help the New Jersey Devils win the championship.

You can watch the entire podcast here: