The Devils got in on both sides of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
They began by shipping out Tyler Toffoli, sending the winger to the Jets in exchange for a 2024 third-round draft pick and a 2025 second-rounder.
The Devils retained 50 percent of Toffoli’s deal as part of the trade, with the 31-year-old set to become a free agent when his four-year, $17 million contract concludes at season’s end.
It marks the fourth time he’s been traded in his 12-year NHL career, including the June 2023 deal that brought him to Newark from the Flames.
“It’s the business and it’s one of those things where you’ve got to be ready for it and be prepared for anything that can happen,” Toffoli, who has 26 goals and 44 points in 61 games this season, told TSN on Friday.
“And obviously with this going down today, it’s just another step along the journey and it’s an exciting time being able to join a really good team. They’re playing really well and they have a lot of the pieces, so hopefully we can we can make a push.”
It was the first of two deals the Devils made with the Jets, also sending defenseman Colin Miller, 31, to Winnipeg for a fourth-round pick, according to multiple reports.
While Toffoli is focused on adding a second Stanley Cup title to his resume in Winnipeg, the Devils are looking toward next season by acquiring veteran goalie Jake Allen from Montreal, according to multiple reports.
The Canadiens will retain 50% of Allen’s $3.85 million cap hit in exchange for a third-round pick which could convert to a second-rounder with a games-played condition.
Allen will be joined in the new-look Devils crease by Kaapo Kahkonen, who came over from the Sharks at the deadline for goalie Vitek Vanecek, who failed to buoy the team’s big hopes this season with Nico Daws, Akira Schmid in combining for a league-worst .891 save percentage.
Entering Friday’s slate, they sit six points out of a playoff spot with a 31-28-4 records. Schmid was sent to AHL Utica.
“We looked at this deadline as a transitional deadline,” GM Tom Fitzgerald told reporters. “We had a goaltender [in Vanecek] who won 30-plus games, had a great season for us, we had that magical run last year, we had a young goaltender that looked like he was ready to make the next step. Those things didn’t happen this year. Getting goaltenders is a tough thing. They’re a hot commodity. When you have it, you don’t give it up.
“I’ve been in the market for quite some time… being able to go out and get a veteran with a lot of character, great Locke room guy, great athlete in Jake Allen… with Vitek, it was an opportunity to set ourselves up for summer with a lot of flexibility to pick and choose what we want to do.”
The move reunites Allen with Devils goalie coach Dave Rogalski, who served the same role with the Blues from 2017-20, with whom Allen won a Cup in 2019.
“Yesterday I came to the realization there was a real potential of me moving on from the Habs,” Allen told The Daily Faceoff on Friday. “I’m excited for the opportunity to go to Jersey, play on a good team, working with a goalie coach I’m familiar with and can get my game back to where I think it can be.”
Allen is under contract for next season and allows the Devils to explore adding another veteran netminder in the offseason — they could continue talks with the Flames to trade for Jacob Markstrom after they were rumored to be after him at the deadline.
“I mean, if I was a GM, I’d be very interested in Markstrom too. I can’t blame anyone for that,” Allen told reporters. “I think he’s been top-three or four goalies in the league this year no doubt. But it’s just one of those things that you sort of always hear the name, you have an understanding of sort of potentially what’s out there, and an opportunity for me to get back in the net play.”
He is 6-12-3 with a 3.65 goals-against average and .892 save percentage with the Habs this season.