A major flaw for the Boston Bruins that eventually led to their downfall in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was their lack of offensive production throughout the lineup. Centers Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle played above expectations in the regular season but did not provide enough scoring in the playoffs. Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak had their moments, but their performances were somewhat inconsistent. Jake DeBrusk was arguably Boston’s best player; however, the 27-year-old winger is an unrestricted free agent, and the Bruins do not seem to be budging on contract offers. The team needs some offense, preferably from the center position, but those options seem to be scarce. Instead, Boston might have to increase production on the wing.
Forward Tyler Toffoli has been linked to Boston in past trade and free-agent talks over the years. The 32-year-old forward has always been a goal scorer and does not seem to be slowing down after collecting 33 goals and 22 assists in 79 games splitting time with the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets this season. With the Jets, Toffoli scored seven goals in 18 games and two goals in the playoffs. The 6-foot, 205-pound right wing has played center in the past, although he has taken a minimal amount of faceoffs in his career. Boston would be Toffoli’s seventh NHL team in his 12-year career.
Toffoli has scored at least 30 goals in each of the last three seasons and just finished a four-year, $17 million contract. The Scarborough, Ontario native is also a Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, scoring seven goals along the way. One positive aspect of his game is the amount of even strength points he accumulates. This season Toffoli collected 37 5-on-5 points.
Many teams should be in on Tyler Toffoli as his new contract should be reasonable in value and term. Toffoli would provide Boston with a good bottom-six option at right wing and help take some of the pressure off of Pastrnak on the score sheet. If Boston is looking for a shorter-term alternative to Jake DeBrusk, then Toffoli could be a good find for them.
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