Tyler Toffoli: The Mold Of A Superstar
By Jeff Henning
One of the biggest reasons the Los Angeles Kings failed to make the postseason after 2014-2015 regular season was a lack of reliable scoring. Anze Kopitar led the team with 64 points, his lowest full season total since 2008-2009. Jeff Carter was the team leader in goals with 28, however only 3 other Kings managed 20 goals throughout the course of the season. The stats will tell you that the Kings were right around league average in terms of goals scored, but they were unable to put the puck in the net when it mattered most.
Although the Kings were held out of the playoffs last season, there were certainly some silver linings. For one, this would give the Kings some much needed rest as they had been playing deep into the postseason for 3 straight years. Anyone who watched the Kings in 2014 could tell that they were just out of gas. Secondly, and most importantly, there was a young player who burst onto the scene last year. He showed great promise netting 23 goals and 26 assists to finish with 49 points, which was good enough for 3rd best on the team. I’m talking, of course, about Tyler Toffoli.
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The 22 year old Toronto, Ontario native has once again taken his game to another level. While he managed 23 goals in 76 games played last season, Toffoli is only 5 behind that pace with just half the amount of games played this season. His 18 lamplighters lead this years Kings with plenty of room to spare. While Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar have remained reliable point scorers, Toffoli has become yet another important offensive weapon for a team that can sometimes lose it’s way offensively.
Toffoli’s magic is starting to stretch beyond just the Kings roster, as he’s now popping up on leaderboards throughout the entire league.
His importance was noted early on this season as Anze Kopitar found himself in a scoring slump to begin 2015-2016. Through Kopitar’s first 15 games this season, he was only able to find the scoresheet 6 times on 5 goals and 1 assist. Kopitar’s slow start was hardly though, as Toffoli was more than willing to pick up the slack. During that same 15 game stretch, Toffoli registered 14 points, which included 10 goals. Now, with Jeff Carter having been out at least 4 games, Toffoli has once again become the player the Kings lead on. In these last 4 games, Toffoli has scored 6 points, including a hat trick that came against the Vancouver Canucks.
Toffoli’s magic is starting to stretch beyond just the Kings roster, as he’s now popping up on leaderboards throughout the entire league. His (+22) rating ties him for first in the league with Jamie Benn. Also, among players who have registered 100 shots on goal, Toffoli is one of only three players to have a shooting percentage thats 17% or higher. (Jamie Benn- 19.5%, Mike Hoffman– 17.8%) Toffoli has also been able to stay away from the penalty box, with only 6 PIMS so far on the season. This high-end production combined with the fact that he’s not putting his own team in precarious spots, makes Toffoli one of the most valuable players in all of the league.
The Kings are once again looking like serious Stanley Cup contenders. Built from the net outward, they’re a tough physical team that certainly has plenty of postseason experience. But, even with all of the defensive metrics you want to throw out, the fact remains that you can’t win in the NHL if you can’t put the puck in the net. Luckily for Kings fans, this is what Tyler Toffoli excels at the most. As the months change and Winter gives way to Spring, look for Toffoli when the Kings need a big goal in a big moment, but don’t be surprised when he comes through in the clutch, he’s been doing that all season.