Gabe Vilardi Update Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff called it the 'Wild West'. Mark Schiefele called it 'huge'. And fans that have seen the Jets falter in the postseason more often than not? It was the perfect trade deadline. On top of last month's addition of Sean Monahan, the Jets doubled down and brought in defenceman Colin Miller and forward Tyler Toffoli from New Jersey. On Friday afternoon, the team's newest veteran forward spoke of being traded to the Jets. "We’re looking forward to it," Toffoli said of he and his wife, Cat Belanger. "We’re going to another Canadian city. There’s nothing better than playing in a Canadian market. It’s a weird feeling but at the same time, we’re excited. Winnipeg, the fans are very passionate. I’m excited to go there and keep pushing for the playoffs and try and make a run there.” It's safe to say he's excited with the new destination. "Obviously the fans are really passionate," he said of Winnipeggers. "I was telling my wife earlier how I've never played them in the playoffs, the whiteout and all that, and definitely going to show her some of the videos. It's pretty sweet. We're looking forward to it. It's going to be a lot of fun." The Jets - which are currently sitting third in the Western Conference with a number of games in hand - are second in the Central Division, seated right behind the Dallas Stars. Toffoli, who has never played in the Central, knows all about Winnipeg through his time with Los Angeles, and recently, Calgary. "The team is playing really well right now, and it feels like we have all the pieces," the Scarborough, Ontario product said. "We'll see what happens moving forward and I'm just going to try and come in and fit in as easy as possible and do whatever I can to help everything out here." And he will do so comfortably, as he already has some familiarity with three members of the current Jets roster - all three of which joined the team this past year. “I think I played with AI (Iafallo) for maybe three years," he said. "We’re really good buddies. We’ve been in contact. With Sean (Monahan) and I, we were roommates in junior and we’ve known each other for a long time. Gabe (Vilardi), I don’t know if I played a lot of games with him. He was rehabbing or still trying to figure out what was going on with him." Toffoli also knows Nino Niederreiter from the 2010 draft class, while having played junior against Mark Scheifele in the OHL. Although unable to have much of a lengthy conversation with either Cheveldayoff or Rick Bowness, Toffoli did hint at their likened desire to win. The feelings were also reciprocated from the Jets' hockey operations staffers. "Obviously, talking with Chevy and Bones here, they’re excited," Toffoli added. "And like I said, speaking with a bunch of the guys on the team, they’re pumped, too, so we’ll see how everything goes when I get there and meet up with them. Like I said, just get to work and try and keep winning games. Known as a goal scorer, Toffoli will likely find a fit somewhere within the team's two top lines, while also earning time on special teams. “I want to win so whatever is kind of asked of me it’s what I’m going to do, so I feel like I fit in," he said. "Obviously I feel like I’m a known guy to be really good on the power play, so we’ll see how that goes. Like I said, it’s one of those things where you don’t really want to step on anybody’s toes. I want to come in and play as hard as I can and as good as I can, and wherever that puts me in the lineup that’s where I'm going to go.” Exactly the kind of things Cheveldayoff and Bowness were hoping to hear. Unfortunately for Winnipeg, neither Toffoli nor fellow tradee Colin Miller will be available for the Jets on Friday or Saturday night, but are expected to be in Winnipeg for Monday's game against the Washington Capitals.
