Calgary Flames forward Tyler Toffoli has known a few head coaches in the National Hockey League and was asked to comment on who he admires the most.

The former Montreal Canadiens veteran with 29 goals to his name this season is enjoying being under Darryl Sutter and it’s no surprise he’s his favorite coach. He also knows the habits of his boss, with whom he won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2013-2014. The 64-year-old was in charge when Toffoli started his career at Bettman’s circuit in 2012-13.

“Darryl is the smartest coach. There’s a reason for everything he does. That helped me succeed in the league and turn pro,” the hockey player commented on the Empty Netters podcast.

That opinion is certainly not shared by some teammates, including Quebecers Jonathan Huberdeau and Jakob Pelletier, who had some issues with the driver earlier in the season. Unsatisfied with the performance, Sutter has temporarily reduced the usage time of the former and recently cut the latter for two games.

However, if the team does not qualify for the next series, some observers say there will be a change behind the bench. With ten games to go, the Flames are ninth in the Western Conference, four points behind.

At Montreal, Toffoli developed for about fifteen games under the guidance of Claude Julien in the winter of 2021 before Dominique Ducharme took over. Additionally, it was traded to Calgary less than a week after being acquired by Martin St-Louis in February 2022.