NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils have put the NHL on watch.
After finishing third overall in the standings this past season, the Devils added a big piece of the puzzle on Tuesday to round out their top six group of forwards.
New Jersey acquired Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Toffoli, 31, set NHL career highs in goals (34), assists (39) and points (73) in 82 games for the Flames this season.
He's got one year remaining on his deal at a cap hit of $4.25 million, and joins an already potent group of fowards on the Devils roster that inlcudes Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and Timo Meier.
Meier, by the way, is reported to have committed to sticking around for a while.
"The Devils took huge strides last season, and they were definitely fun to watch," Toffoli said, per NHL.com. "They have so much talent and it doesn't seem like they're too far off, so hopefully I can come in and help and just whatever it takes to win … and it's going to be a lot of fun. That's when hockey is at its best, when you're winning games."
The Devils ranked fourth in the NHL in goals scored last season, with the fourth best goal differential as well. Adding a player like Toffoli will only help tip the scales even further.
The Devils still have $10 million in available cap space even after adding Toffoli and re-signing Bratt and Meier to long-term extensions.
There's still some work to do to round out the lineup, and there's the idea of adding a top-tier goalie (perhaps Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg?), but that top six is indeed stacked and will make life difficult for the opposition next season.