From a Monarch to the Shark Tank, San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli‘s career has taken him everywhere imaginable.
Toffoli, who currently wears the number 73 for the Sharks, is only the second player to ever wear that number for the team in teal, as Noah Gregor was the first to break it in half a decade ago.
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The 34-year-old winger’s professional hockey journey began in 2010, when he was selected 47th overall by the Sharks’ arch-rival, the Los Angeles Kings. He broke into the NHL during the 2012-13 season, appearing in 10 games for the Kings. That same season, he was named the American Hockey League’s Rookie of the Year after scoring 28 goals and 51 points in 58 games for the Manchester Monarchs.
Then, during the 2013-14 season, Toffoli took a much greater role at the NHL level appearing in 62 regular season and 26 playoff games. At the end of the playoffs, he lifted the Stanley Cup for the first and, to this point, only time in his career.
Toffoli remained with the Kings for another half decade or so, before departing the organization when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in the middle of the 2019-20 season.
After a total of 17 games in Vancouver, Toffoli made his way across Canada and joined the Montreal Canadiens for the 2020-21 season. He spent roughly a season and a half with the historic franchise, before being traded once again, this time to the Calgary Flames.
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After a season and a half in Calgary, Toffoli would be traded once again, this time south of the 49th parallel and he was on his way to New Jersey. After another short stint, this one just over half of a season, he was traded across the border once again, as he joined the Winnipeg Jets to close out the 2023-24 season.
At this point, Toffoli opted to sign with the Sharks as an unrestricted free agent. He ensured that he wouldn’t be on the move anytime soon, including a no-trade clause in the first three years of his contract and a modified clause in the final year. In 157 games with the Sharks to this point, the veteran winger has scored 49 goals and 103 points while also serving as a mentor for the young forwards like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
While there is certainly a logjam of forwards on the Sharks roster, Toffoli’s trade protection makes him one of the few veterans safe from a potential move.
