TOFFOLI'S TERRIFIC START IS NO SURPRISE TO `UNCLE MIKE'
Mike Futa remembers the first time he watched Tyler Toffoli play hockey. And the former assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Kings also remembers the first scouting report he ever filed on him.
“Chunky little guy who scored goals,” said Futa, laughing.
Toffoli was around 10 years old back then. And the Torontonian was playing on a stacked Toronto Jr. Canadiens club that included former NHLER Devante Smith-pelly and John Mcfarland, who would go on to become a No. 1 pick in the OHL.
Like most scouts, Futa was there to see Mcfarland, the can't-miss-prospect. But Futa found his eyes wandering over to the chunky little guy with the big shot, who wasn't all that fast and who wasn't particularly dynamic with the puck, but who seemed to know where to be on the ice and finished every game with a goal or two.
“I was always leaving the rink thinking about Ty,” said Futa. “The kid just scored, you know what I mean? You're talking 85-90 goals.”
The 28-year-old Toffoli is no longer chunky. But he is still scoring goals. And once again, he's doing it in a red, white and blue jersey that once again looks good on him.
As of Tuesday, only Toronto's Auston Matthews had more goals than the nine that Toffoli has scored in 12 games with the Montreal Canadiens. That natural goal-scoring ability is why Montreal, which has an 8-2-2 record out of the gates, signed Toffoli to a four-year contract with a Us$4.25-million cap hit last October.
And it's why Futa, who is better known as “Uncle Mike” to Toffoli, initially drafted him to L.A. with the 47th overall pick in 2010.
“He dropped to the second round because people questioned if he could skate at the next level,” said Futa. “But I always thought Ty could score 30 goals every year.”
Except, Toffoli hasn't scored 30 goals every year. He's reached the 30-goal mark only once. And it came in just his third season in the league. By that time, Toffoli had already won a Stanley Cup for a team that had won twice in three years, but was now in the beginning of a transition.
The core was getting older and the younger guys, like Toffoli, were being leaned on to carry the torch.
For Toffoli, it was a case of too much, too soon.
“The biggest thing — and it's not just Ty, it happened to a lot of the guys — is when you get the ultimate prize out of the gates, you take things for granted,” said Futa. “In fairness, good for Ty. But you always have to remember why you got that rock star status is because of what you did on the ice.”
When the Kings drafted Toffoli in the second round, there was no rock star status. There were just question marks concerning a teenager who looked a lot like the 10-year-old Futa had first laid eyes on. Some wondered if he had the speed to keep up at the NHL level. Others were more concerned about his body.
“He comes in and I always said there's these kids when they come into training camp, who are either shirts or skins,” said Futa. “The shirts are the kids who are really uncomfortable. Ty seemed to be in that camp. He was overwhelmed.
“(Then-coach) Darryl Sutter kicked him in the stones and sent him down. It was like, `Hey bud, there's still work to be done.'”
Toffoli spent two more years in junior, where he combined for 109 goals and 208 points in 133 games for the Ottawa 67s. The following season, he was named AHL rookie of the year.
“Then, all of a sudden, Sutter put him with Jeff Carter and Tanner Pearson and the rest is history,” said Futa.
Well, it should have been. After scoring 31 goals in 201516, Toffoli managed 16 goals the following season. A year later, he had 24 goals. Then, just 13.
With the Kings rebuilding, Toffoli was moved to Vancouver last year in what amounted to a wake-up call. He ended up scoring six goals and 10 points in the final 10 games of the season, and followed it up with two goals and four points in seven playoff games. But for reasons only Canucks management seems to understand — and is probably now regretting — Toffoli wasn't given a contract extension.
And if you don't think Toffoli didn't take it personally, consider that eight of his nine goals this season have come in five games against the Canucks.
“He's like Jason and Freddy Krueger all in one where he's haunting them,” said Futa.
“I understand that he's scored a lot of goals against the Canucks and he got on a bit of a roll there, but he's a smart player,” said Canadiens head coach Claude Julien. “His hockey sense is really, really good. He sees the ice well. Even on our power play, he has the puck sometimes under pressure and he always seems to make the right plays.
“I've liked his start. Hopefully, he keeps getting better and we keep getting some consistency out of him.”
Futa, who's watched Toffoli each step of the way, likes it, too. And he believes the best is yet to come.
“I'm just so happy for him,” said Futa. “I asked him the other day, `How does it feel to lead the league in scoring ?'
Toffoli's answer: “It's early.”