The Winnipeg Jets are loading up with an eye toward a long playoff run.
Having already acquired centre Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens last month, the club snagged winger Tyler Toffoli in a deal with New Jersey on Friday ahead of the NHL’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
The Devils received a second-round pick in the 2025 draft and a 2024 third-rounder for the 31-year-old pending unrestricted free agent. New Jersey is also retaining 50 per cent of his US$4.25-million cap hit.
“You want to come in and not step on anyone’s toes, but your voice matters,” he said. “If I feel like there’s something that needs to be said, I’ll try to say it.”
Toffoli has 26 goals and 44 points in 61 games this season. In 794 career games with the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Canadiens and Devils, he’s put up 253 goals and 257 assists for 510 points.
The Toronto native, who won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014, has added 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 88 playoff appearances.
Toffoli joins a Jets team currently sitting second in the Central Division and among the Western Conference heavyweights involved in a roster-bolstering arms race that started before the NHL all-star break.
“You look at all the teams, it feels like everybody is trying to stack up and do whatever they can to win so it’s not going to be easy,” said Toffoli on a video conference with reporters. “It’s always tough and anything happens in the playoffs, so as long as you get there and do the work to put yourself in a position to succeed, then anything can happen.”
Winnipeg’s Western competition weren’t idle on Friday, however.
The Vegas Golden Knights got veteran forward Tomas Hertl, a 2025 third round pick and a 2027 third-round pick from the San Jose Sharks for 19-year-old prospect David Edstrom and a 2025 first-round pick.
Hertl had 15 goals and 19 assists over 48 games this season, with career totals of 218 goals and 266 assists over his 11 seasons in San Jose.
Montreal, meanwhile, traded goaltender Jake Allen, who has a year left on his contract, to New Jersey for a conditional 2025 third-rounder, bringing an end to the Canadiens’ three-headed crease monster that also featured Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau.
The Calgary Flames got defenceman Nikita Okhotiuk ahead of the deadline from the Sharks for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft.
The Carolina Hurricanes made a big slash in the East on Thursday night by acquiring Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins before adding fellow forward Evgeni Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals on Friday morning.
Washington shipped Kuznetsov to Carolina for a 2025 third-round pick after he passed through waivers earlier this week.
The Capitals will retain 50 per cent of the 31-year-old’s remaining salary, which brings his cap hit down to $3.9 million through 2024-25.
Carolina, which sits second in the Metropolitan Division and lost to the Florida Panthers in last year’s conference final, got Guentzel from Pittsburgh for winger Michael Bunting, a trio of prospects and two conditional draft picks.
Cleared to resume practising after entering the NHL’s player assistance program last month, Kuznetsov has six goals and 17 points in 43 games this season.
The Russian has 171 goals and 397 assists for 568 points in 723 games over parts of 11 seasons with Washington. Kuznetsov, who won the Cup with the Capitals in 2018, has added 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in 87 playoff appearances.
The moves out West, meanwhile, started in late January.
Vancouver acquired centre Elias Lindholm from Calgary and Winnipeg made that deal for Monahan with Montreal.
Dallas then made a big move last week when the Stars got defenceman Chris Tanev from the Flames.
Never shy to wheel and deal, Vegas acquired winger Anthony Mantha from Washington on Tuesday.
Edmonton got into the action on a busy Wednesday when the Oilers secured winger Adam Henrique and centre Sam Carrick from Anaheim.
Colorado acquired defenceman Sean Walker from Philadelphia and added centre Casey Mittelstadt from Buffalo in a deal that sent blueliner Bowen Byram the other way.
Vegas then made waves by getting prized defenceman Noah Hanifin from Calgary.
In other moves Friday, Seattle re-signed pending UFA forward Jordan Eberle to a two-year pact worth $9.5 million on Friday.
Florida acquired winger Kyle Okposo from Buffalo, Boston got bruising forward and three-time Cup winner Pat Maroon from Minnesota, and Arizona shipped forward Jason Zucker to Nashville.