Devs trade pair, net Toffoli as draft looms

The Devils kept dealing Tuesday, acquiring wing Tyler Toffoli from the Flames in exchange for center Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick in the NHL draft while trading goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to the Sharks for a sixth-round pick in Wednesday’s draft, the team announced.

Toffoli, 31, posted a personal-best 34 goals and 73 points this past season, his 11th in the NHL, leading Calgary in both categories. He has seven playoff runs and a Stanley Cup championship in 2014 with the Kings under his belt.

Entering the last year of a four-year contract he initially signed with Montreal, Toffoli is owed $4.25 million this coming season.

Sharangovich, 24, was set to hit restricted free agency after playing three seasons with the Devils. The fifth-round selection in the 2018 draft has totaled 106 points over his tenure.

The 26-year-old Blackwood, who started 143 games in his five-season tenure with the Devils, made just 20 starts in 2022-23. Injuries have plagued him, resulting in less playing time for him and more opportunities for others, including Vitek Vanecek, the primary starter during the regular season, and Akira Schmid, who spent the most time in net during the postseason.

Blackwood, who can become a restricted free agent on July 1, is expected to battle Kaapo Kahkonen and possibly Eetu Makiniemi for playing time in San Jose.

The deals Tuesday are the latest in a slew of activity from the Devils, who traded franchise mainstay Damon Severson earlier this offseason, signed promising 24year-old forward Jesper Bratt to an eight-year extension earlier in June and re-signed veteran left winger Erik Haula to a three-year deal on Friday.

The Devils, who last year posted the highest point total in franchise history and had their most successful season since 2011-12, are gearing up for another playoff push.