Toronto Maple Leafs: The Marlies Need a Goalie. But Who?

The Toronto Maple Leafs deployed Eamon McAdam as their backup netminder last night.

So yeah, that just about sums up the current state of this team’s depth in net.

As Marlies’ starter Kasimir Kaskisuo appeared to suffer a potentially long-term injury on Sunday, his probable shelving leaves only McAdam as the lone remaining goaltender within the organization signed to an NHL deal.

Suffice it to say, I doubt that Kyle Dubas ever anticipated he’d be relying on Eamon McAdam at all this season, let alone 7 games in. That’s bad, not to mention legitimately imposing to the immediate success of either team.

For the Leafs, this is a blow thankfully softened by the imminent return of Frederik Andersen from a minor knee ailment. For the Marlies, on the other hand, they had been experiencing some crease-centric struggles of their own long before Kaskisuo ever went down, and his loss only dampens an already destitute situation.

The lack of a capable puck stopper could torpedo the Marlies’ entire season before it even truly begins. Now down to only Jeff Glass, they need another body.

Are any meaningful reinforcements available? Let’s find out.

Free Agents

Who’s still left on the market? Well…

Kari Lehtonen

The most obvious and frequently mentioned option here is Kari Lehtonen, and for good reason.

The former second overall pick (wow Kari Lehtonen went second overall??? Life is crazy) sits clearly atop the remaining pile of available goaltenders – a low bar to clear for sure – as the lack of interest garnered by his services throughout the summer has since carried well into the season.

Statistically, it would be entirely plausible for Lehtonen to slide in as a fine stop-gap in the Marlies’ crease. At least, you would think so.

For one, there isn’t necessarily a useful sample size at the level to draw upon here, considering how Lehtonen’s last taste of AHL action outside a conditioning stint occurred all the way back in 2004. Nevertheless, he still managed a respectable .912 save percentage in 37 games for the Stars just last season, and if you’re capable of putting up those numbers against NHL shooters, it’s not outrageous to suggest they can be replicated at the level below.

Pepper in how Lehtonen’s .912 would be a drastic improvement over the .844 and .860 mustered by Kaskisuo and Glass respectively and this is a no-brainer.

The real question here, and this pertains to all free agents, becomes pretty simple; would Lehtonen want to play here? Frankly, I’m not so sure.

Just put yourself in his shoes for a moment. You’re turning 35 in November, have made enough money throughout your career to fill a bathtub with cash and swim around in it Scrooge McDuck style, and have more or less maintained the stature of an established NHL netminder for the better part of 13 seasons.

Why on earth would you willingly take such a sizeable pay cut (Lehtonen’s 2017-18 cap hit was $5 million) to join an AHL roster where you’d potentially be the backup?

Just retire, my dude. You have money, a long career, and even an 8th place Vezina nom from 2008 to look back upon. Most athletes can’t say the same.

Skip the 12-hour bus rides to Utica and enjoy life.

Steve Mason

Whereas Kari Lehtonen probably should retire, Steve Mason is apparently considering doing so for real.

As reported by Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, Mason actually turned down a contract offer over the summer from a team in search of a backup, and if he’s unwilling to accept a role as an NHL #2, I can’t imagine he’d jump at the idea of an AHL stint.

Performance wise, Mason has been on a steep decline for a while now, hastening his value even further. Save for a brief resurgence with the Flyers between 2013/14 – 2015/16, Mason’s save percentage has dipped steadily in the years since he captured the 2008 Calder, hovering well below league average somewhere in the high .890’s to mid .900’s range.

Couple that with repeated bouts with injury, including multiple concussions and groin issues, and the writing’s on the wall. Mason’s best course of action now is to focus on his long-term health outside the rink.

The Marlies should look elsewhere.

Michael Leighton

Michael Leighton once led the Philadelphia Flyers all the way to the 2010 Stanley Cup final.

Remember that? It feels like a lifetime ago. A time when middle schoolers awkwardly grinded to Tik Tok by Ke$ha, everyone thought it was super profound to talk about Inception, and I had just entered grade 9.

Much has changed.

Anyway, in the years following that magical run, Leighton proceeded to bounce consistently up and down between levels, more or less cementing his ceiling as that of a capable AHL goalie. He was even awarded the Baz Bastien Award, the AHL’s Vezina, back in 2008 with the Albany River Rats. Good for him.

After Lehtonen and Mason, it’s Leighton who stands as the third most attractive goaltender remaining on the free agent market, which should really tell you all you need to know about the calibre of talent available at the position. It’s a frighteningly thin group, folks.

Not to mention, his AHL numbers practically mirror those of 32-year-old netminder Jeff Glass, a veteran 5 years Leighton’s junior who currently occupies the Marlies’ crease.

Opting to sign Leighton would serve little purpose to the Marlies, akin to just throwing money at an older version of an asset they already have. Sure, he may prove just fine between the pipes in limited action, but the 17-year pro hasn’t logged more than 20 games since the 2015 season and is not getting any younger.

By all means, go for it. This just isn’t the solution.

Trade

The caveat here is that whoever the Leafs would receive in a hypothetical trade would ultimately need to pass through waivers before earning eligibility to join the Marlies. This is why the avenue of trade is the least likely way this team will seek to solve their problem.

Spending assets on a player only to lose him for nothing the very next day is a frighteningly plausible outcome here and perhaps too sizeable of a risk to take, especially considering how waivers are why the Leafs even find themselves in this pinch, to begin with.

So, just keep that in mind.

Anthony Stolarz

That waiver wrinkle is likely behind why the Leafs neglected to claim Anthony Stolarz off waivers from the Flyers two weeks ago, or even attempt to work out a trade once he eventually cleared.

Stolarz, by all means, is an enticing asset.

Standing tall at 6’6″, the former 2012 second-round pick possesses the strong physical gifts typically seen in standouts at his position and turns only 25 in January. Moreso, Stolarz is a surplus to the Flyers. His path to NHL employment is currently held up by the logjam of Philadelphia’s trio of promising net prospects, where Stolarz sits noticeably behind Alex Lyon and Carter Hart on the depth chart.

He may need to look elsewhere for a true shot. The Marlies could be the ones to give it to him.

Look, I’m not going to spend my time parsing through whether a 3rd or 4th rounder would be enough to pry Stolarz free. I really don’t have the patience. Instead, I’ll just point to the fact that Stolarz even hitting waivers at all essentially confirms that Philly was fine with taking the risk of losing him for free, thus suggesting that he’d be available.

The Marlies, and Leafs by extension, desperately need net depth. Few available options at this point would be worse than Stolarz. Get ‘er done.

Waivers

Curtis McElhinney & Calvin Pickard

Ah, yes. The pipedream of Leafs fans everywhere.

Above all, it was both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard being waived and subsequently claimed that got the Leafs into this mess in the first place, and it could be exactly what gets them out of it too.

McElhinney and Pickard were each poached by their respective teams for the sole purpose of plugging a hole left by injury. A lower-body ailment suffered by Alex Lyon opened the door for the latter, while a similar fate befell Scott Darling in the preseason to pave a spot for the former.

Let’s be clear here. Neither presence will be long term.

Eventually, Darling and Lyon will recover from whatever ails them and return to action, thus forcing the Flyers and Hurricanes into their own crease crunch. Enter the Leafs, who could very well swoop in to claim one of McElhinney or Pickard, maybe even both, bypass them through waivers, and shuttle them directly over to the Marlies.

I believe the term for this is called “Seth Griffith-ing”. Look it up.

Again, this all hinges on the returns of Lyon and Darling, but getting even one of their departed netminders back into the fold would stand as a monumental victory for the Marlies, and perhaps be enough to even save their season.

Thanks for reading!