The Flames traded Tyler Toffoli to the Devils for Sharangovich, 2023 draft pick

The Calgary Flames traded their leading scorer Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday in exchange for Igor Sharangovich and the 80th pick in the 2023 draft.

The deal comes a week after the Daily Faceoff reported that Tofoli, who has a year left on his contract, will not sign with the Flames.

Toffoli, a seven-time leading scorer with 20 goals, is coming off the strongest season of his career despite playing for the Flames who are two points off last place in the Western Conference. He finished with career highs in goals (34), assists (39) and points (73) for the Flames, who finished 19th in scoring per game.

Toffoli’s arrival in New Jersey bolsters a starting six forward that already includes Jesper Pratt, Nico Hischer, Jack Hughes, Timo Meyer and Ondrej Balat.

Sharangovich, a suspended free agent who was in the final season of a two-year contract that saw him earn $2 million a year, is giving the Flames another best-nine option. The 25-year-old winger has his third straight season with more than 40 points, though his 13 goals and 30 points in 75 games scored falls slightly from the 24 goals and 22 assists in the 2021-22 season.

Moving on from Toffoli is the latest chapter in a crazy chapter on flames.

It started when General Manager Brad Treleving, now with the Toronto Maple Leafs, parted ways with the team. The Flames then fired head coach Darryl Sutter in his second stint with the club and promoted assistant GM Craig Conroy to be the team’s new general manager. Conroy then promoted assistant coach Ryan Houska to head coach.

Tofoli may not be the only player to leave the Flames. According to the Daily Faceoff, defender Noah Hanifen is not planning to re-sign and Mikael Backlund is tipped not to re-sign. The team is also awaiting a decision from Elias Lindholm regarding the extension of the contract.

Backlund, who won the King Clancy Award at the NHL Awards on Monday, spoke about his future by saying “it’s not my decision” whether he stays with the club.

Backlund, Hanifin and Lindholm are entering the final season of their contracts in a squad that currently includes players like Rasmus Andersson, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Jacob Markstrom and MacKenzie Weegar under contract for at least three years.