Tyler Toffoli is about to have a career year

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Not sure if Hanafin is necessarily a whipping boy. He's just the guy that fans here seem want to use as a trade chip

His not being traded will be the genesis of growing disappointment among some fans

[joejoe3]

Just watch all the vets are just coasting during pre-season and dials it up in game 1.

[tony-soprano]

Toffoli + Cornato for P.Kane

[GIODUDE]

I traded Dach and Georgiev and Malkin and Toffoli as my first trade this year. First year playing fantasy, looking forward to it.

[Goriders]

Was wondering if the Flames would go after Kane at the trade deadline if Toffoli doesn’t pan out.

[InternationalVillager]

Toffoli was garbage last year. What makes this just a preseason thing? We have a larger sample size. I see it more as a continuation of what we saw last year. He played so bad last year Sutter had to defend him in the media by saying its not about "only the box score". Well now that he's getting 1st line exposure with PP1, you can't really just brush away a lack of production. So he NEEDS to produce otherwise this is not so good for the Flames. The team might be better off looking in the trade market for a winger in the ilk of a Duclair. Speedy with some size and good hands who can be elevated by HUberdeau.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Toffoli was garbage last year. What makes this just a preseason thing? We have a larger sample size. I see it more as a continuation of what we saw last year. He played so bad last year Sutter had to defend him in the media by saying its not about "only the box score". Well now that he's getting 1st line exposure with PP1, you can't really just brush away a lack of production. So he NEEDS to produce otherwise this is not so good for the Flames. The team might be better off looking in the trade market for a winger in the ilk of a Duclair. Speedy with some size and good hands who can be elevated by HUberdeau.

The excuse last year was his short summer after the Montreal playoffs run, poor conditioning for our altitude (also Montreal thing), and Montreal bad habits for their entire terrible team last season.

This year he's had a summer under the Sutter system which he should know like the back of the hand so no more excuses other than he might be one of those limited shelf-life players.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Toffoli was garbage last year. What makes this just a preseason thing? We have a larger sample size...

Well, no. Toffoli was actually really, really good through his first 21 games in Calgary. He scored 9 goals and 18 points, and then tailed off, which is why many fans were convinced that he got worn out last year.


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[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Well, no. Toffoli was actually really, really good through his first 21 games in Calgary. He scored 9 goals and 18 points, and then tailed off, which is why many fans were convinced that he got worn out last year.


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He was also very snake bitten to end the season and in the playoffs. He is a streaky player so hopefully it swings back the other way this year. But too call him garbage and the like is just dumb. Guess there is not enough to complain about on the roster.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Toffoli was garbage last year. What makes this just a preseason thing? We have a larger sample size. I see it more as a continuation of what we saw last year. He played so bad last year Sutter had to defend him in the media by saying its not about "only the box score". Well now that he's getting 1st line exposure with PP1, you can't really just brush away a lack of production. So he NEEDS to produce otherwise this is not so good for the Flames. The team might be better off looking in the trade market for a winger in the ilk of a Duclair. Speedy with some size and good hands who can be elevated by HUberdeau.

True.

And we have an even larger sample size - his career. And that career says that last year - more precisely, the last 20 games of last year plus the playoffs - were the anomaly.

If we're 20 to 30 games into this season, and he is still struggling, then it becomes a different conversation.

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

True.

And we have an even larger sample size - his career. And that career says that last year - more precisely, the last 20 games of last year plus the playoffs - were the anomaly.

If we're 20 to 30 games into this season, and he is still struggling, then it becomes a different conversation.

I guess we can be concerned that Toffoli isn't getting any younger, and he's never been the greatest skater.

That said, has he ever played consistently with talent like Huberdeau and Lindholm. It might just be a case of gettign used to it and figuring out how he can fit in.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Players can look terrible if they are either in the wrong role, the wrong system, or with players they don't have chemistry with.


We know Toffoli can score. We know he can do well in Sutter's system. What is obvious is that, at present, there is about zero chemistry on that line.


Toffoli is missing passes and not getting to the right areas, or blowing by them at times. Huberdeau is throwing a lot of pucks away at the moment with his passes to nobody. Lindholm is looking like 2014 Lindholm - overrated (though he had an absolute MONSTER shift vs Winnipeg last night, even though it didn't result in a goal - just domination by him on the ice).


This is what no chemistry looks like. Hopefully the chemistry comes along sooner rather that later, and that half second before or after what we are seeing right now of Toffoli being too late or too early, turns into just in time. Lindholm will trust his linemates more and not worry so much about defence and find an open area, and Huberdeau will make the tweaks he needs to in order to connect those passes, rather than end up giving them away.


I am not very worried. Toffoli has shown that he can score at a high level in the NHL consistently. He is a lot like Monahan - not the fastest skater, but great hockey sense and is able to find his spots and get a really good shot off. Until Monahan was essentially the victim of a road roller like you used to see in cartoons, Monahan was a legit #1 center that everyone loved. He was effective. Toffoli has a very similar game.


If chemistry develops quickly, then I would bet that Toffoli sees a career high. If not, well, he should still get close. I think that chemistry will eventually come as all 3 are high IQ players, and have elite skill levels. They will get it figured out.


I do, however, feel that this schedule is not friendly. Sure, it is nice to be at home and have those practices and additional rest time, but I think a road trip is preferential early on in the season when big changes happen. It helps the team bond, players talk to each other a heck of a lot more, etc. Plus you don't have time to think - you just go out there and play your game and figure it out as you go.


When guys are at home, they don't spend as much time together since they spend more time with family. There is a lot more pressure at home, players start gripping their sticks more when things aren't going well, it becomes more difficult to avoid the media, etc, and you end up thinking too much.



I guess we will see. I would have preferred the 1st week at home to allow for more practices, than a week on the road to bond/talk and but not overthink things. All of October essentially at home is not ideal IMO. The top 6 is radically different with only 1 player left from last season on either line. If things don't go well to start, everyone on those lines will really start to feel it more. I think on the road, you don't feel it as much.



I do quite like the overall make-up of the team, and think this is going to be a great season. It just might start off a bit slow with the lack of chemistry at the moment, and that may play a factor in the chances at winning the division, but I am fairly confident that eventually this top 6 will figure things out, and the team as a whole will end up having a dominant season.

[Textcritic]

So, Toffoli looked just fine last night.

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[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Did Sutter switch up the lines towards the end of the game last night? Dube, Kadri and Toffoli connected at the end. Maybe a line change dunno didn't watch but these lines could work.

Huberdeau - Lindholm - Mangipane
Dube - Kadri - Toffoli

Lindholm still has that one shot scorer presence on the top line while Mangipane has the skating and in close grit to get some dirty goals. Both guys scored at or close to 40 goals last year and I think the could do it again

[ricardodw]

Darryl Sutter on that line: "It was just the way the penalties were...but I think Mang and probably Tyler are interchangeable there"

Sutter could start saving him for his playoff runs.

Last year it took Sutter too long to move Tyler down the line-up. One of the few coaching mistakes Sutter made.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by FormerPresJamesTaylor

Did Sutter switch up the lines towards the end of the game last night? Dube, Kadri and Toffoli connected at the end. Maybe a line change dunno didn't watch but these lines could work.

Huberdeau - Lindholm - Mangipane
Dube - Kadri - Toffoli

Lindholm still has that one shot scorer presence on the top line while Mangipane has the skating and in close grit to get some dirty goals. Both guys scored at or close to 40 goals last year and I think the could do it again

He did switch them in the 3rd, but I think Toffoli only had like 4 shifts with Kadri. He did look like a better fit on the Kadri line, and he had chemistry with Dube last season. He made a great play getting the puck to Kadri, while Kadri was driving the net. I thought that was something the first line was missing, someone driving towards the net... that's where Mangiapane might fit, and hopefully everything clicks.

[dino7c]

One of the best players in the ice last night

[Enoch Root]

I thought that, once Toffoli got the goal, he looked good on both lines.

[Vinny01]

I think Toffoli will find a good spot on this team but I wonder if he possibly isn’t a better fit for Kadri than he is for Lindholm and Huberdeau? I could see Toffoli and Mangiapane swapping spots to give Huberdeau a leftie and rightie sniper to work with. There is also a chance that Lindholm and Kadri could swap spots.

Toffoli’s goal last night was a beauty play all around and his pass to Kadri for the last goal was a nice play. He is going to be a solid 1st or 2nd line RW for this team this year.

[calgarywinning]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I think Toffoli will find a good spot on this team but I wonder if he possibly isn’t a better fit for Kadri than he is for Lindholm and Huberdeau? I could see Toffoli and Mangiapane swapping spots to give Huberdeau a leftie and rightie sniper to work with. There is also a chance that Lindholm and Kadri could swap spots.

Toffoli’s goal last night was a beauty play all around and his pass to Kadri for the last goal was a nice play. He is going to be a solid 1st or 2nd line RW for this team this year.

Yeah pretty much this. We need left shot for Huberdeau, and a good one.

His magical passes create space/time/surprise but he's got two right shots. Tonights game was lost on the first line not really producing and our main goaltender missing a couple frozen pucks.