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Should The Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Garret Sparks?

By Josh Tessler

TORONTO, ON- JUNE 3 - Toronto Marlies goaltender Garret Sparks (40) makes a save as the Toronto Marlies lose 2-1 to the Texas Stars in game two of the AHL Calder Cup Finals at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. June 3, 2018. The series is tied at a game a piece. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON- JUNE 3 - Toronto Marlies goaltender Garret Sparks (40) makes a save as the Toronto Marlies lose 2-1 to the Texas Stars in game two of the AHL Calder Cup Finals at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. June 3, 2018. The series is tied at a game a piece. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have to make a decision on if they’ll trade Garret Sparks.

Last season, Sparks was an outstanding goaltender for the Toronto Marlies. He played in 43 games for the Marlies and posted six shutouts, a 1.79 GAA and a .936 SV%. It was a huge improvement in comparison to his 2016-17 campaign. He was able to successfully reduce his GAA by approximately .40 and was able to improve his SV%. Can he move up and play with the Toronto Maple Leafs?

When it came to the playoff, Sparks was crucial to the Marlies’ success. He played in 19 playoff games and collected 14 wins. Sparks’ playoff GAA was at 2.22 and he registered a .915 SV%.

Due to his strong play, Sparks deserves to be in the NHL next season. Unfortunately, there is someone in his way on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster.

Curtis McElhinney is the net-minder who is blocking Sparks from being on the Toronto Maple Leafs active roster. Last season, McElhinney played in 18 games for the Maple Leafs. In his 18 games in net, he posted 3 shutouts, 2.15 GAA and a .934 SV%. While he was excellent in net, he’s getting older. He’s 35 years old and likely only has two or three more seasons in the NHL left. So, now it’s for Kyle Dubas to determine whether he’ll move Sparks or McElhinney this off-season.

What I Would Do If I Was GM

If I was in Dubas’ shoes, I wouldn’t trade Sparks.

It wasn’t too long ago when the Toronto Maple Leafs had issues in net. Since the days of Ed Belfour, the Maple Leafs had trouble finding a solid top goaltender. Sure, the Maple Leafs now have a solid top net-minder with Frederik Andersen, but I’m always concerned about health. Goalies get injured and banged up and when that happens teams tend to suffer day in, night out. If Andersen got hurt tomorrow, I’d much rather have someone with more upside like Sparks over McElhinney.

The only issue with choosing to move McElhinney over Sparks is the return. If Dubas were to trade McElhinney tomorrow, the Toronto Maple Leafs wouldn’t get a great return. Dubas might be able to land a 7th round pick.

On the other hand if you trade Sparks, you could potentially get a sizable haul. There are a few teams like the New York Islanders and/or the Buffalo Sabres that could desperately use a change at goalie. Potentially, the Maple Leafs could get a first or second round draft pick. Even though the return would be of more value to the Maple Leafs, it still wouldn’t make sense. Sparks has a ton of upside while McElhinney doesn’t have much in the tank. Plus, per capfriendly.com, McElhinney is a UFA at the end of next season.

Next: All 7 Picks the Leafs Will Make at the Draft

While, McElhinney isn’t worth much. I’d be happy with moving him prior or at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in Dallas. Perhaps, Dubas lands an extra sixth or seventh round draft pick and can potentially select the next Tomas Kaberle.

research from capfriendly.com, stats from NHL.com and theahl.com

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