LOS ANGELES _ Tyler Toffoli stood in the middle of the outdoor rink, his breath condensing in the air in front of him, as an NBC reporter asked about the inevitable.
The forward had just recorded the first hat trick in an NHL outdoor game during the Los Angeles Kings' 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Yet, at the end of his postgame interview, Toffoli was forced to talk about trade speculation.
"It's tough," he said. "But it's time like this where my teammates are behind me. Both (Alex Iafallo) and (Anze Kopitar) were looking for me for the hat trick. It's those little things that go a long way. I'm very grateful. And we'll keep going and see what happens."
Then, Toffoli turned and skated off the ice. His last game as a King officially had come to an end.
Toffoli was traded Monday to the Vancouver Canucks for forward Tim Schaller, 20-year-old prospect Tyler Madden, a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL draft, and a conditional fourth-rounder 2022 _ a seemingly big haul for a player on an expiring contract.
"He was terrific," Kings general manager Rob Blake said in a text of Toffoli, 27, who had spent all eight seasons of his NHL career with the Kings. "Like (former Kings forward Kyle) Clifford, has meant so much to (the) organization. They are Stanley Cup winners."
From the start of the season, Toffoli had been targeted as a potential trade chip. In the last season of a contract worth $4.6 million in annual average value, he appeared to be a top-six luxury for a team that didn't figure to factor into the playoff race.
In the opening two months, however, the former second-round pick was struggling to keep his place near the top of the Kings' lineup. After scoring four points in the first five games, he tallied only one goal in the next eight before coach Todd McLellan made him a healthy scratch on Oct. 30.
He returned to the lineup but managed only eight points (three goals, five assists) over his next 18 appearances. Eventually, on Dec. 10, he was dropped to the fourth line.
Then, he turned around his season.
Beginning with a two-point performance on that December night against the New York Rangers, Toffoli went on a hot streak. In his last 28 games, he had 21 points (12 goals, nine assists), a plus-six rating, three game-winning tallies and a strong 13.6 shooting percentage. He ascended back to the top line and took the team lead in goals (18). After his four goals in two games last week, he was named the NHL's third star of the week.
"Todd challenged him early," Blake said. "He had really responded."
His teammates noticed. In a postgame TV interview Saturday, Kopitar couldn't hide his joy over Toffoli's big night, which included a game-winning goal in the final minute on which Kopitar assisted.
"It's great," Kopitar said. "I've played with Tyler for close to 10 years. To see him get on the scoreboard in any game is really fun for me. A hat trick in this setting has to be special."
It all helped the Kings attract a stronger return for Toffoli on the trade market. Madden, a third-round pick in 2018 currently playing his second season of college hockey with Northeastern University, was considered one of the Canucks' best prospects. In 27 games at the NCAA level this season, he had 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) and a plus-four rating.
The acquisition of a second-rounder, meanwhile, gives the Kings 10 total picks in the draft, including multiple selections in the second, third and fourth rounds.
