There’s no doubt that L.A.’s potency skyrockets with him in the lineup, but he’ll have to fully win over head coach Darryl Sutter to lock up a spot in the top six.
The Kings bench boss didn't pare back Toffoli’s minutes in crunch time on a whim. He wasn't quite hard enough on the puck or responsible enough away from it to warrant a regular shift with the season on the line. During stretches of the Stanley Cup Final, Sutter promoted Mike Richards in his stead.
Toffoli’s ability—and willingness—to shore up the holes in his game will determine his short- and long-term standing within L.A.’s forward corps.
With the Puck
The 22-year-old can produce. With limited ice time, he's amassed 34 points in 72 career regular-season games (0.47 PPG) and 20 points in 38 playoff contests (0.53 PPG).
In 2013-14, 23 of his 29 total points were amassed at five-on-five, and he led the team with 2.02 points per 60 such minutes.
Those are impressive numbers.
His shot is tremendous as well—accurate and heavy—sitting behind maybe only Jeff Carter’s as the best release on the club. Yes, that's including sniper Marian Gaborik.
In the clip below, he tries his luck from a poor angle yet picks a corner and whistles his bid by San Jose Sharks netminder Antti Niemi nonetheless:
With that said, he hasn't yet found a way to maximize his touches.
When he isn't in a decent shooting location or on a rush, he fails to leave much of an imprint. The bulk of L.A.’s...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
