Jets add Toffoli to keep up with Western arms race
The Winnipeg Jets are loading up with an eye toward a long playoff run. Having already acquired centre Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens last month, the Jets snagged winger Tyler Toffoli in a deal with New Jersey on Friday ahead of the NHL’S 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
The Devils received a second-round pick in the 2025 draft and a 2024 third-rounder for the 31-year-old pending unrestricted free agent. New Jersey is also retaining 50 per cent of his Us$4.25-million cap hit.
“You want to come in and not step on anyone’s toes, but your voice matters,” he said. “If I feel like there’s something that needs to be said, I’ll try to say it.”
Toffoli has 26 goals and 44 points in 61 games this season. In 794 career games with the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Canadiens and Devils, he’s put up 253 goals and 257 assists for 510 points.
The Toronto native, who won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014, has added 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 88 playoff appearances.
Toffoli joins a Jets team that sits second in the Central Division and is among the Western Conference heavyweights involved in a roster-bolstering arms race that started before the NHL all-star break.
“You look at all the teams, it feels like everybody is trying to stack up and do whatever they can to win, so it’s not going to be easy,” Toffoli said on a video conference with reporters. “It’s always tough and anything happens in the playoffs, so as long as you get there and do the work to put yourself in a position to succeed, then anything can happen.”
The Carolina Hurricanes made a big splash in the East on Thursday night by acquiring Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins before adding fellow forward Evgeni Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals on Friday morning.
Washington shipped Kuznetsov to Carolina for a 2025 third-round pick after he passed through waivers earlier this week.
The Capitals will retain 50 per cent of the 31-yearold’s remaining salary, which brings his cap hit down to $3.9 million through 202425.
Guentzel is eager to join the Hurricanes and get back on the ice, with the trade coming as he is on the verge of returning to play after missing nearly a month with an upper body injury.
“You know what the team’s done in the past and how close they’ve been,” Guentzel said Friday. “This is a special team. They’ve got a lot of high-end players, and they’re really well-coached.”
Carolina, which sits second in the Metropolitan Division and lost to the Florida Panthers in last year’s conference final, got Guentzel from Pittsburgh for winger Michael Bunting, a trio of prospects and two conditional draft picks.
Cleared to resume practising after entering the NHL’S player assistance program last month, Kuznetsov has six goals and 17 points in 43 games this season.
The Russian has 171 goals and 397 assists for 568 points in 723 games over parts of 11 seasons with Washington. Kuznetsov, who won the Cup with the Capitals in 2018, has added 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in 87 playoff appearances.
The moves out West, meanwhile, started in late January.
Vancouver acquired centre Elias Lindholm from Calgary and Winnipeg made that deal for Monahan with Montreal.
Dallas then made a big move last week when the Stars got defenceman Chris Tanev from the Flames.
Never shy to wheel and deal, Vegas acquired winger Anthony Mantha from Washington on Tuesday.
Edmonton got into the action on a busy Wednesday when the Oilers secured winger Adam Henrique and centre Sam Carrick from Anaheim. Colorado acquired defenceman Sean Walker from Philadelphia and added centre Casey Mittelstadt from Buffalo in a deal that sent blueliner Bowen Byram the other way. Vegas then made waves by getting prized defenceman Noah Hanifin from Calgary.
In other moves Friday, Florida acquired winger Kyle Okposo from Buffalo, Boston got bruising forward and three-time Cup winner Pat Maroon from Minnesota, Arizona shipped forward Jason Zucker to Nashville and then sent defenceman Matt Dumba to Tampa, Vegas picked up Tomas Hertl from San Jose, the New York Rangers added defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from Pittsburgh, Nashville picked up forward Wade Allison from Philadelphia and Toronto added fourth-line winger Connor Dewar from Minnesota.
The Maple Leafs’ depth on the blue line took a hit Friday. The Anaheim Ducks claimed defenceman William Lagesson off waivers — subtracting a player from Toronto who held his own in 30 games with the Leafs this season — an hour before the NHL trade deadline at 3 p.m.
Signed in free agency last summer to a one-year, US$775,000 contract, Lagesson played admirably for the Leafs when required. He had four assists, 19 penalty minutes and was plus-5, in playing an average of 14 minutes 31 seconds a game.
The 28-year-old has played in 90 games in the NHL, and spent time with the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens before he became a Leaf.