Could the NY Islanders trade for Tyler Toffoli and at what cost?

Why Tyler Toffoli is an attractive trade target?

Toffoli's appeal for the Islanders is easy to see.

A scoring winger, with 34 goals and 39 assists for 73 points last year, who plays the left wing - fans should be jumping out of their seats at the possibility of a Toffoli-Horvat-Barzal line. His advanced stats are equally good: while Toffoli was on the ice, the Flames scored 61% of the goals and 57.7% of the expected goals while also taking 59% of the shots. The expected goal and shot percentages, by the way, would have led the Islanders this year per Evolving Hockey. , while the actual goal percentage would be third, behind just Mat Barzal and Brock Nelson.

A player that good must be really expensive, right? No. Surprisingly, Toffoli's contract carries a cap hit of just $4.25 million next year, and he's only owed $3.5m in actual salary.

It's safe to say that an elite first-line left wing (exactly what the Islanders need), who would instantly become either the best or second-best scorer on the team, and whose cap hit is quite low, would not be easy to acquire. The Islanders' prospect pool is bare, to put it mildly, and they don't have a 1st round draft pick this year.

To be blunt, if the Flames want prospects and picks, the Islanders aren't a good fit. The Flames acquired Toffoli a year and a half ago for a package including: Tyler Pitlick, Emil Heineman (prospect/signing rights), 2022 1st RD pick (used to select Filip Mesar) and a 2023 5th RD pick (#144)

The 2022 1st rounder wound up being 26th overall, Heineman was a former 2nd round pick, and Pitlick was a frequent healthy scratch/fourth line grinder, so to simplify, I'll say that Toffoli cost roughly the equivalent of a 1st and 2nd round pick. Unfortunately - or, fortunately for Calgary, but unfortunately for any team trying to trade for him - Toffoli had the best season of his career after the trade, with his 34 goals and 73 points in 2023 both being career highs. In other words, the price right now will be higher than it was at the 2022 trade deadline.

What could that price be for the Isles? Let's throw out some ideas.