Pending UFA Toffoli: Staying with Canucks is 'priority No. 1'

Pending unrestricted free-agent forward Tyler Toffoli hopes he can stick with the up-and-coming Vancouver Canucks on a new contract.

"I want to talk to (general manager) Jim (Benning) and see where he's at and where the team's at because that's priority No. 1 right now. ... I want to stay in Vancouver," Toffoli said Friday, according to Sportsnet's Brendan Batchelor.

The Canucks acquired Toffoli from the Los Angeles Kings prior to February's trade deadline. The 28-year-old winger was an immediate fit in Vancouver's top six, notching 10 points in 10 games prior to the pause and adding four points in seven postseason contests.

Toffoli has carried a $4.6-million cap hit for each of the past three seasons. The Canucks are projected to have about $14.3 million in available money this offseason, according to CapFriendly, but the team has plenty of key free agents in addition to Toffoli; goaltender Jacob Markstrom and defenseman Chris Tanev are both set to become UFAs, and forward Jake Virtanen will be a restricted free agent.

Vancouver knocked off the Minnesota Wild in the qualifying round of the postseason to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Canucks then ousted the defending champion St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference quarterfinals before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games in Round 2.