Former Hab Catches Up With Friends

Since the San Jose Sharks are in town to take on the Montreal Canadiens, former Hab Tyler Toffoli was happy to catch up with some friends. The Habs had the day off yesterday, so Jake Evans and Cole Caufield were glad to go for a bite with their former teammate.

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Toffoli’s wife Cat Belanger Toffoli published a picture of the three players on their outing on her Instagram account. The center had signed with the Canadiens back in 2020 when Montreal was one of the rare teams willing to shell out for players during the pandemic. He put pen to paper on a four-year pact worth $17 M.

In his first season with the Tricolore, Toffoli had put up 44 points in 52 games and played a big role in the Canadiens’ unlikely journey to the Stanley Cup Final. His second season in Montreal ended abruptly when he was traded to the Calgary Flames. The writing was on the wall for him, even though he had 26 points in 37 games.

When Kent Hughes was hired as the Canadiens’ GM in January 2022, he mentioned that in an ideal world, his Canadiens would be playing a fast-attacking brand of hockey. While Toffoli was and is more than able to play an attacking style of hockey, he lacked the speed to thrive in the system Martin St-Louis wanted to implement. While he was a teammate loved by all, his age also made him a prime candidate to be moved.

He was traded five days after St-Louis was hired, Hughes’ first meaningful trade, which marked the start of the Canadiens’ rebuild. In return, the Habs’ GM received Tyler Pitlick and Emil Heineman, a conditional first-round pick in 2022 and a fifth-round pick in 2023.

The 2022 first-round pick was used to select Filip Mesar at 26th overall, and while Pitlick didn’t stick around for long, prospect Heineman has become an important player for the Canadiens.

Even though he’s skating on the fourth line, he finds a way to shine on the ice. The rookie is sixth in goal this season in the league, and judging by how the Canadiens fared during his injury, he could still be there when the Canadiens are ready to contend.

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