'A LOT OF EXCITEMENT'

There was a time, not long ago, when 'That 70's Line' was the talk of the hockey world.
The trio, featuring Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson and, yes - Tyler Toffoli - was a threat in the 2014 playoffs and earned their place in Kings lore en route to their second Stanley Cup title.
Today?
Forget disco.
Flames fans were busy conjuring memories of the '80s, when Calgary's iron-clad warriors did the same and etched their place in our city's history.
Now, the present-day Flames look poised to make a similar run, with help from their talented trade target.

"I think they're all buying into what Darryl is preaching," said Toffoli, who was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Tyler Pitlick, prospect Emil Heineman, a first- and a fifth-round draft pick Monday. "Obviously, I was with Darryl earlier in my career and we had a lot of success. It's going to be a lot of fun.
"I'm excited to play winning hockey again.
"It wasn't going the way that we had planned in Montreal and last year was a lot of fun here.
"I'm going to miss the city and miss the guys on the team, for sure, but going to a winning team - a team that's trying to win - is a lot of fun."
Toffoli, who scored 28 goals and led the Habs to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final last spring, is in the second year of a four-year contract that pays him $4.25M annually.
The 29-year-old is a shoot-first top-six winger that plays a responsible, two-way game, but is most widely known for his goal-scoring ability.
Which is … well, rather prolific.
The Scarborough, Ont. native has 182 goals over 11 seasons in The Show, and if not for the abbreviated schedule last year, would have easily cracked the 30-goal plateau for the second time in his career.
Elite hands, a high 'Hockey IQ,' and his impressive controlled zone-entry rate make him one of the league's most dangerous players off the rush.
"Coming into the league, it's one of those things where there was a lot of pressure on me to score goals, but first and foremost for me to get into the league, to play under Darryl, was to play the 200-foot style of hockey," Toffoli said. "That's what I take pride in.
"I know that sounds kind of cliche, but that's kind of like my style and when I get the puck on my stick, I like to shoot it. Hopefully I can have that success and fit in right away and help the team continue to win games."

It's a big get.
And opportunities like this don't come around often.
"The players have done their job," said General Manager Brad Treliving. "It was time for me to do mine.
"I think if you ask any player, they like their team - but when you can give them some help, that's well-received. Certainly, the way they've been playing and the way we've been playing, I felt it was good time to give them some help."
Both Treliving and Sutter agree that the timing was right.
If you wait until the trade deadline - or, at the very least, closer to - the chance of getting out-bid becomes a real possibility. Additionally, the impact of the player isn't as drastic, with such little runway to create chemistry and find comfort in the room.
Fortunately, the connections run deep.
Sutter, obviously, coached the winger for parts of five seasons in Hollywood, including that magical Cup run in 2014. There, he played with Trevor Lewis, Brad Richardson and Milan Lucic at different points in his tenure - forging a lifelong bond that was on display Monday.
Lucic - who played only one season with Toffoli but is now good buddies with the sniper - was the first to welcome him to Calgary.
"Reunited and it feels so good," the big man wrote on Instagram, captioning a timeless photo of he and Toffoli riding the 'Cars' rollercoaster at Disneyland.
"Just a lot of excitement," Lucic said of the mood around the rink. "There's a lot of confidence and trust from management to make the next step for the team to move in the right direction. We're in a good spot right now because of how we've played in the first 45 games.
"Everyone's smiling, everyone's happy about it, and now it's about keeping it going in the right direction."

The stories didn't end there, as Toffoli played (and was roommates with) Sean Monahan with the Ottawa 67's of the OHL, and he also made a stop in Vancouver a few seasons ago, playing alongside Chris Tanev and Jacob Markstrom.
It was a series of ringing endorsements.
The Flames, by all accounts, are getting a good one.
"I think everybody's fired up," Markstrom said, acknowledging the faith Treliving has put in this group by bolstering the corps for what is hopefully a deep run. "Everybody knows what kind of a player. He's a goal-scorer everywhere he goes, and I'm happy because he usually scores on me and has been doing it his whole career."
Toffoli - like Richardson, Lewis and Lucic - has been through the ringer. He's been there, done that, and knows what it takes to "withstand the pain," as Sutter explained, and handle the immense, playoff pressure.
When you have players with this type of pedigree and combine it with winning experience, it doesn't get much better.
Hopefully for the Flames, it will have the same, heroic ending as it did with the Kings back when.

"The goal-scoring gets talked about a lot and he's one of those guys that has that gift," Treliving said. "Some people need four, five or six whacks - he only needs one.
"But what doesn't get talked enough about is his all-around game. … On the teams he's been on, he plays both wings. Plays the powerplay, touches both sides of special teams. You look at the data on him when you dig into it - the ability to drive play, shot volume and also shot suppression has been strong. Yes, he's made his living because he can shoot it in the net, but he does a lot more. That's what excites me.
"I expect him to come in and be a really good player.
"He's excited about where our team is at. He knows we have a lot of work ahead of us, but he's excited to get into a playoff race."