Toffoli Drops 13 Pounds, Eyes Bounce-Back Season With Sharks

San Jose forward Tyler Toffoli arrived at training camp lighter after an offseason reset and addressed rising expectations around the Sharks.

San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli said he feels last season was marked by poor puck luck, even though he still scored 19 goals. That total came after three consecutive seasons of 30 or more goals, a drop he found frustrating.

Toffoli spent the offseason reshaping his conditioning and said he lost 13 pounds. He noted he is entering his 15th NHL season with the same enthusiasm he had as a rookie and felt good jumping into scrimmages after about a month of work in San Jose.

On teammate Macklin Celebrini, Toffoli said the young center is unlikely to change how he handles pressure and attention, adding that Celebrini did a strong job last season and has supportive people around him who have experienced similar scrutiny.

Toffoli acknowledged that expectations around the Sharks have grown, including outside playoff talk during last season's strong stretches. He stressed that the locker room knows the team has not accomplished anything yet and that opponents visiting SAP Center will not make things easy.

He also welcomed the additions of defensemen Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba, saying he learned how difficult Nurse was to play against during his time in Calgary and that both bring details that often go unnoticed.