Flames trade Toffoli to Devils for Sharangovich, pick

The New Jersey Devils acquired winger Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick, the teams announced Tuesday.

Sharangovich is a pending restricted free agent, while Toffoli has one season left on his deal with a $4.25-million cap hit. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Toffoli led the Flames with a career-high 34 goals and 73 points while skating in all 82 games this season.

"Tyler, he's played great for us," Flames general manager Craig Conroy said shortly after the deal, per Postmedia's Wes Gilbertson. "But to be able to get a little younger and add a pick, that's something we were hoping to do at the draft."

Reports surfaced last week that Toffoli didn't plan on signing an extension with the Flames and would likely be made available for trade.

On Tuesday, Toffoli said he wanted to sign a new deal with Calgary but requested a trade after the team didn't initiate contract talks.

"I was waiting for an extension conversation and there was none coming and didn't feel like there was one in the future," he said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "It didn't sound like there was any sort of need for me, or want in a way, so it was a personal decision.

"I thought it was time for myself and my wife to experience something different and move forward."

Toffoli added that he hasn't spoken to the Devils about an extension yet, but it's on his "wish list," per NJ.com's Ryan Novozinsky.

Sharangovich, 25, potted 13 goals and 17 helpers in 75 contests in 2022-23. He's projected to sign a three-year pact with a $3.55-million cap hit, according to Evolving Hockey.

Calgary acquired Toffoli from the Montreal Canadiens last February. He was reunited with bench boss Darryl Sutter, who coached Toffoli as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames fired Sutter in May.

The Devils selected Sharangovich in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. He has 106 points in 205 career NHL games.

The Flames now have $5.5 million in cap space after the deal, while the Devils have just over $19 million, per CapFriendly. New Jersey traded restricted free-agent goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to the San Jose Sharks earlier Tuesday.

Sharangovich is the Flames' only restricted free agent, while the likes of Milan Lucic and Troy Stecher can become unrestricted free agents. The Devils have a bevy of RFAs on their books, highlighted by Timo Meier.

Toffoli may be the first major offseason domino to fall in Calgary after an underwhelming campaign that saw the team miss the playoffs. Defenseman Noah Hanifin is reportedly likely to get traded, while Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund don't appear to be keen on signing extensions heading into the final season of their deals.

The Devils, meanwhile, are on the rise after making the postseason for the first time since 2018.

"They took a huge stride last season," Toffoli said. "It was definitely fun to watch. They have so much talent, it doesn't seem like they're too far off. Hopefully, I can come in and help. ... It's gonna be a lot of fun."

Toffoli won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014.