Canucks link to potential reunion with Tyler Toffoli makes little sense

It's expected to be a busy summer for the Vancouver Canucks, as Patrik Allvin aims to make good on his vow to strengthen the roster. It must be somewhat reassuring for fans, to know their general managers is focused on making the team a contender for years to come.

As a result of all this, you can expect the Canucks to be linked to a variety of players during the offseason. However, it's fair to state that this will include those who in reality make little sense, for any number of reasons.

One prime example of this is forward Tyler Toffoli. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that he will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Fourth Period goes on to write that the Canucks expressed interest in Toffoli prior to this year's trade deadline, before he was moved to the Winnipeg Jets. Further, that they could be among the teams which pursue him during the pending offseason.

Now let's be clear in acknowledging The Fourth Period only claims the Canucks could be looking to pursue Toffoli. Regardless, let's knock this on the head now before speculation begins to grow - pure and simple, there is little sense in Allvin and company makign a move for their former player.

Toffoli too expensive back in 2020 and now again in 2024

The Canucks previously acquired the 32-year-old in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, in February 2020. And they gave up a lot to get him, with a return package which included Tim Schaller, prospect Tyler Madden, a 2020 second-round draft pick, and 2022 conditional draft pick.

Toffoli played well enough for the Canucks, especially considering a high-ankle sprain which compromised his influence during that season's playoffs. However, the Canucks deciding against attempting to re-sign him during the summer.

Now, we find ourselves at a point where the Canucks again need to resist the temptation to attempt to re-sign the 2010 second round draft pick. The reality is he's just going to cost too much, plus Allvin has a plethora of more pressing concerns once the offseason begins.

Toffoli is about to complete a four-year deal, which had an average annual salary of $4.25 million. He is still a quality player who will be in demand, hence he will more than likely receive a bump in pay.

Canucks focused on the future

With the Canucks looking to build a long-term contender, the last thing they need to do is add an ageing player with an expensive contract, both in terms of value and length. And that's no matter how much Toffoli might help the team in the short-term.

As things stand, the Canucks have nine unrestricted and two restricted free agents to contend with. Yes they are one of the more better-placed NHL teams in respect of projected cap space with, as per CapFriendly, just under $23.78 million, but the shear amount of players they want/need to bring back, makes any move for Toffoli nigh on impossible.

This becomes even more apparent, when you consider the pending free agents in question. The list includes Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Tyler Myers, Sam Lafferty, Casey DeSmith, Arturs Silovs, Filip Hronek, Dakota Joshua, Ian Cole, Mark Friedman and Teddy Blueger.

Ultimately, this type of dilemma is an extremely common occurrence in the salary cap era of the NHL (and indeed North American professional sports in general). As a result, the ideal world scenario of bringing in a quality player such as Toffoli, is just not realistically feasible for Allvin and the Canucks.

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