Deals between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, who are in the same division, are extremely rare. In 2018, the Devils received a second-round selection and prospect defenseman Yegor Rykov from the Rangers in return for winger Michael Grabner, marking the last and only occasion the rivals had ever connected on a deal. A new story claims that the Rangers considered trading with the Devils before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline but decided against it. A former Devils forward might be a free agent target for the Rangers now.
During the 2024 NHL Trade deadline, the Rangers reportedly showed interest in Tyler Toffoli, a forward who had previously played for the Devils, as reported by Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
“According to my gut, the Rangers had an interest in Tyler Toffoli right before the trade deadline. Unfortunately, he is now a free agent after playing out the last season with the Winnipeg Jets,” says Baugh. Toffoli, who is 32 years old, may be seeing his final opportunity to sign a lucrative deal; a four-year agreement paying over $5 million per year would be quite lucrative. The Rangers could figure it out, but they’d likely have to trade for some cap space to make it happen. Chris Drury, the general manager, has shown some interest in making that happen. In each of the previous two seasons, Toffoli scored 30 goals or more.
The Winnipeg Jets, to whom General Manager Tom Fitzgerald sold Toffoli at the trade deadline, are not likely to re-sign him given that Toffoli’s free agency is set to begin on July 1st.
After talks with the 32-year-old sniper and his agent broke down, Fitzgerald acknowledged during their deal that he is interested in re-signing him through free agency. A pre-trade extension was impossible to negotiate between the two parties.
The Devils might hold an auction for Toffoli’s services because they will be looking to add another top-six forward to their roster this summer.
The 2024 NHL Draft is just around the corner, as are the deadlines for qualifying offers and the potential for a frenzy of trades following the Stanley Cup victories of the Florida Panthers or the Edmonton Oilers. All of this takes place before free agency begins.
