'A KNOWN WINNER'

It's hard to believe a player of this calibre had doubters lurking in the shadows.
It's even harder to comprehend what 'evidence' would lead them down that path in the first place.
Is it the shot? His knack for finding the net from range, or deep in the 'dirty areas'? The fact that he's a winner and brings veteran savvy to a team on the rise?
Yeah. Who needs that, right?

Whatever ill-informed assessments he may have heard in the past, Tyler Toffoli made one heck of a statement to his critics with a two-goal, four-point performance in Vegas to reach a new career high with 60 points on the year.
And he's not showing any signs of stopping.
"I came into this season wanting to prove something," the normally stoic sniper said afterward. "I know I am (a top-line player), but other people thought differently. You know what, I've kind of done that my whole career. People have always kind of doubted me at times and I've rose to the occasion."
Darryl Sutter refers to him as a 'one-shot scorer' - a player that can easily change a game with a simple flick of the wrist.
And for those that gotten to know him over the years, the fact that he's filling the net and putting up numbers higher than any point over the past decade is not at all surprising. Personal accolades are typically put on the backburner at this time of the year, with players and coaches acknowledging the bigger picture - the team concept - as they chase down a playoff spot.
But let's be honest. Toffoli has earned the right to flex.

"I think, maybe, it could have something to do with the fact that he's moved around a little bit," said defenceman Troy Stecher, who got to know Toffoli quite well during the latter stages of the 2019-20 season and through the Edmonton Bubble as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.
"I can relate.
"In a sense, I feel like sometimes you might doubt yourself and feel like a team doesn't want you - but then there's the other side of it, where the other team does want you. You'd have to ask him, but maybe that's mentality, based on my own experiences.
"But I remember, clearly, when we made that trade to get him ... He's a known winner, a known player around the league - so, I remember at that time, we were really excited to get him. He's the one I stayed in contact with the most and he was a big part of our team during that stretch. I consider him a close friend and I'm really happy for him now with the success he's having here."

That trade to Vancouver was Toffoli's first in the NHL. He then moved on to Montreal.
Then Calgary.
It's a lot of instability for a player that spent the first eight years of his career in the same spot, winning two cups early as a member of the LA Kings and cementing himself as one of the league's top marksmen.
"He's been here for a full year now, which you have to think helps," said Elias Lindholm, who centres the top line with Toffoli on right wing. "Not to have to move and come to a new team again, I think that would help anyone.
"Obviously, I've played with him all year, so I've gotten to know him quite well. He's a goal-scorer, but he goes the dirty areas and works hard as well. He plays a pretty straightforward game, so I don't try to complicate things. If you play simple, you get rewarded, and I think that's what we're seeing with him right now.
"It's pretty fun to play with a guy like that and when he's scoring big goals like he has for us all year, it's huge for our team."
If he keeps up his current pace, Toffoli could finish with about 71 points, obliterating his previous best of 58, set during the 2015-16 season.
The road to that mark continues tonight, when the Flames return home to the Scotiabank Saddledome to host the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars. How fitting, considering the last time these two squads met, Toffoli showed off his renowned 'clutch-ability' with a top-shelf snipe to break a 4-4 tie with only seconds on the clock.
Makes you wonder what he has in store for an encore in front of the 'Dome faithful.
"It's a special talent," Stecher said. "It's someone you appreciate having on your team. At any moment, you know there's an opportunity to have the puck go in the net when he has the puck on his stick.
"He works so hard to put himself in those positions and is so smart where he finds open ice, he's able to get those shots off.
"He's a really good player for a reason."