NHL Trade Rumors: LA Kings getting a lot of interest in Tyler Toffoli
The LA Kings aren’t done making moves, according to the latest NHL trade rumors. Could Tyler Toffoli be the next guy traded?
The Los Angeles Kings came into this season with a “win now” mentality. That’s understandable, giving their older core. However, a slow start got them into a hole they haven’t been able to get out of. The LA Kings appear to be ready to shift their focus to a rebuild, as the latest NHL trade rumors have teams calling about forward Tyler Toffoli.
According to Bruce Garrioch, a columnist for The Ottawa Sun, the Kings have been getting a lot of interest in him.
"The Kings aren’t happy with a lot of underachievers on their roster and nobody should be surprised if there are more changes made there. The Kings are getting lots of inquires about forward Tyler Toffoli and they already moved Tanner Pearson to the Penguins earlier this season."
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They’ve been very active in trade talks, having already traded Tanner Pearson to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Carl Hagelin. And since the Kings also tried firing their coach, one can expect the roster changes to continue.
Toffoli is one of the few players the team has who has a lot of trade value. Obviously, guys like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty have trade value as well. However, both have huge contracts and, more importantly, have no-movement clauses.
With Toffoli scheduled to become a free agent after next season, he’s more than merely a rental. And despite his struggles, he has proven to be a fairly consistent goal scorer in recent years.
Toffoli has scored 99 goals since the start of the 2014-15 season, including a career-high 31 in 2015-16. He has three seasons with at least 20 goals scored under his belt.
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In addition, Toffoli has over 100 assists since the start of the 2014-15 season. He’s proven he’s a guy who can help a team on offense. And if Toffoli gets on a hot streak, he’s quite capable of helping to carry a contending team.
He has a $4.6 million annual cap hit, so the Kings likely won’t have to retain much salary to get a good return for him. Because Toffoli would be around to potentially influence two postseason runs, the team could pick up a first-round pick and potentially a top prospect as well.
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Trading Toffoli would be tough, as the Kings would effectively be admitting that they are rebuilding. But it’s better to start rebuilding early than to start rebuilding too late.
For updated NHL trade rumors, be sure to check out our Rumors page.