[ad_1]
Article content
Of the Canadiens’ many off-season moves, there are solid bets like Jake Allen, a big gamble in Josh Andersonand a bit of a risky move in Joel Edmundson. They all have a good-to-strong chance of improving the team significantly, but of the major acquisitions by GM Marc Bergevin, only one is a virtual guarantee.
In signing Tyler Toffoli as an unrestricted free agent, the Canadiens added a player who has been a consistent play-driving winger his entire career and, barring injury, a consistent 20-plus goal-scorer.
Toffoli, 28, is exiting the prime age for scoring forwards, but the four-year contract with a US$4.25-million annual cap hit is a bargain for a player of his calibre. Toffoli was an important piece in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2014 Stanley Cup victory, but hit his prime as the team faded out of competitive relevance.
The Kings were built on a smothering and physical defensive style, piling up shots from all over and overwhelming opponents with the volume of shots. Shortly after the Kings won their second Cup in ’14, the NHL as a whole started a shift to valuing more high-quality plays and shooting from more dangerous areas. While the Kings remained a strong defensive team, they didn’t have the right group at forward to create high-end passing plays. And they didn’t get to the net much, either, with the exception of star Anze Kopitar’s linemates.
[ad_2]
Source link
