Devils scratch former Stanley Cup champion for trade-related reasons

The New Jersey Devils are set to take on the St. Louis Blues on home ice on Thursday night, but with the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, they'll be doing so without the services of their top goal scorer.

In a post on X on Thursday afternoon, Irfaan Gaffar revealed that Tyler Toffoli will be a healthy scratch tonight against the Blues for 'trade-related reasons.

The Devils were hoping to get an extension done this week, but as the days went by, the decision to potentially trade him made more sense. Given the amount of teams who have shown interested in adding him and the potential return they could get, a trade is probably the right call for Tom Fitzgerald and his group.

In the last week alone, Toffoli has been linked with a move to a number of teams including a pair of his former clubs - the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks - as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 31-year-old has appeared in 61 games for the Devils this season where he's put up 44 points (26 goals, 18 assists), 12 penalty minutes and is a minus-15.