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Toronto Maple Leafs Draft: Evan Fitzpatrick, Goalie of the Future?

By Eduardo Razo

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Mark Hunter announces Mitchell Marner (not pictured) as the number four overall pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs as commissioner Gary Bettman looks on in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Mark Hunter announces Mitchell Marner (not pictured) as the number four overall pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs as commissioner Gary Bettman looks on in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Over the last two years the Toronto Maple Leafs have done an amazing job re-building a prospect pool that lacked elite level talent, but one area the new regime has failed to address is in net and finding their goalie of the future.

It’s no secret that the depth in net, especially when it comes to the depth in the prospect pool is pretty much non-existent for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Currently the Leafs have three goalie prospects in Kasimir Kaskisuo, Antoine Bibeau, and Garret Sparks who are all okay, but don’t scream “goalie of the future.”

With the 2016 NHL Draft looming this is where Mark Hunter and the rest of his staff need to find that goalie with high upside which is why they need to take a long look at Evan Fitzpatrick of the Sherbrooke Phoenix.

Fitzpatrick, who is ranked number one goaltender in North America, would be a good start for Toronto Maple Leafs Management as they address the lack of high-end goalie prospects in their prospect pool.

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Last season the Toronto Maple Leafs had zero goalie prospects in the junior or college hockey ranks which is not the ideal way to go, you want to have at least one goaltender to follow and see how he’s developing, but that’s kind of hard to do when the Leafs have not drafted a goalie since 2013.

Now, having a goalie in the junior or college ranks is nice, but you know what’s even better? A goalie that has some upside, one that has the potential to be the guy some day and you usually find these guys in the first four rounds. The problem is the Toronto Maple Leafs have not taken a goalie in the first four rounds of the draft since they selected James Reimer in 2006.

Fitzpatrick did not have the ideal season going into his draft year as his win/loss total was mediocre, his save percentage dipped below 90%, and his goals against was sub-par.

So why draft a goalie who put up bad numbers in his draft year?

Well he has the ideal size you would want in a goalie as he stands at six feet four inches and over 200 pounds, also you add in his athleticism and skill which leads for most of us to overlook the bad stats.

"“Sherbrooke Phoenix goalkeeper Evan Fitzpatrick has tremendous upside,” according to ISS Hockey of Scouting Dennis MacInnis Director (via Penalty Box Radio). “A butterfly goalie with good size and athleticism. He is calm, relaxed and controlled between the pipes, which has helped him gain the #1 rank of the top eligible goaltenders in the 2016 NHL Draft.”"

It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers, but if you pull out his tape of game 4 against the Shawinigan Cataractes in the playoffs this past season in which he had a 73 save performance and you will see flashes of potential that MacInnis is talking about.

Next: What To Do With Matt Hunwick

With two second round picks in the upcoming draft, Fitzpatrick would be an excellent selection to help kick start the improvement of the depth in net. It’s been awhile since the Toronto Maple Leafs had a blue chip prospects in net, I think it’s time to finally fill that void.

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