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Brad Treliving’s decade-long pursuit of Tyler Toffoli is complete.

On Monday morning, the Flames general manager acquired the two-way winger from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a conditional first-round pick, a 2024 fifth-round pick, forward Tyler Pitlick and prospect winger Emil Heineman.

The Flames are currently on pace for 106 points, which would be their second-most since their 1988-89 Stanley Cup winning season. Adding Toffoli is a clear sign that Flames management views this team as a legitimate threat for a deep playoff run. 

“You do take your cues from your team,” Treliving said. “The players have done their job. Now it’s time for me to do mine, and part of that is giving them some help. If you ask any player, they like when they like their team and when you give them help, that’s well received. Certainly, the way we’ve been playing, I felt it was time to give them some help.”

Treliving has had his eyes on Toffoli dating back to his time as the assistant general manager with the Arizona Coyotes.

Monday’s deal is the biggest in-season trade of Treliving’s tenure. With over a month still to go until the March 21 trade deadline, the general manager wanted to get ahead of the market and give Toffoli (who has two years left at $4.25 million per season on his contract) time to acclimate to his new surroundings.

“I’ve never been a huge trade deadline guy,” he said. “It’s like rush hour traffic. It’s five lanes merging into one the closer you get to it. So, if you can get in front of it, that’s a preference of mine.”

Despite having to move across the country to join the team, there is plenty of familiarity between Toffoli and his new surroundings.

He won a Stanley Cup with current Flames coach Darryl Sutter in Los Angeles in 2014, and Milan Lucic is one of his closest friends. Toffoli also played with Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Erik Gudbranson in Vancouver, and was roommates with Sean Monahan in junior.

“I know a lot of the guys on the team,” Toffoli said. “It’s not going to be too big an adjustment in that sense…they’re all buying into Darryl’s style of hockey.”

Toffoli fits that style well. Last season, he scored 28 goals in 56 games and was a key component of Montreal’s playoff run. He can score, kill penalties, play a shutdown role, and has a Stanley Cup ring. This season, he has nine goals and 27 points in 36 games.

"Yes, he makes his living by shooting but he does a lot more,” Treliving said. “He can touch every part of the game, five on five…with the pedigree he has, it'll be a great addition."

The addition of Toffoli gives Sutter a bevy of roster options. While Calgary’s top line likely will remain intact (and their second line of Blake Coleman-Mikael Backlund-Andrew Mangiapane has played very well lately), Toffoli can slot in on either wing, and draw in on the penalty-kill rotation and second power-play unit.

“I’m not into [a] guy who takes penalties and can’t play 200 feet,” Sutter said. “And it’s not just what I’m into, it’s what winning teams do. Tyler is a guy who doesn’t take penalties and plays the right way.”

Off the ice, this looks like a great fit as well.

“I think everybody’s fired up,” Markstrom said. “He’s a goal scorer. I’m happy because he usually always scores on me, and he’s been doing that his whole career. I got him to Vancouver, and I was happy then, and then he left to Montreal and scored some goals [on me] and this year. I think he’s scored two [on me], so I’m happy he’s wearing the C with the Flames. In the room too, he’s a great guy. A little quiet, but a great guy.”

Lucic, once Toffoli’s groomsman, agreed. After the trade, Lucic posted a photo of the two of them on a roller coaster at Disneyland, and they spent the All-Star break together.  

“I think we had more fun than his kids,” Toffoli laughed when recalling the memory.

Toffoli said he will "be the first person at the rink" Tuesday morning and will likely make his Flames debut versus the Columbus Blue Jackets that evening.