5 Back-up Goalies the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade For

On Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped yet another game in a back-to-back.

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped both games during this back-to-back, against both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Colorado Avalanche. The difference this time was that Freddie Andersen played both games.

Although Andersen didn’t play like he hoped, he is not to blame. The fact that he had to play two nights in a row is the issue here.

Whether or not he lost the first game, going into the second game with a tired goalie is a recipe for failure.

But the Toronto Maple Leafs had no choice. The main problem here is Michael Hutchinson, the Leafs backup goalie. The Leafs seem to finally have lost faith in him after going winless in all six of his starts, despite being given second chances. Wednesday’s game was just proof that the Leafs would rather play a tired Andersen over a well-rested Hutchinson.

It seems like there’s no other solution to the Leafs backup woes except to find a replacement, ASAP. So let’s take a look at five backup goalies the Leafs could target right now by trade.

All stats from naturalstattrick.com and hockeydb.com.

Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins

2019-20 stats: 6 W, 4 L, .936 Sv%

First up, we have Tristan Jarry, who I would say is the Leafs best choice for a back-up goalie replacement.

Jarry is only 24 years old and is making just $675,000 at the league minimum.

This is perfect for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they’re very tight on cap space, meaning the cheaper the better. He’s also an RFA at the end of this season, meaning the Leafs will have more control to easily re-sign him.

He is the perfect fit for the Leafs, but of course it’s not as easy as that.

The Pittsburgh Penguins seem to have him chosen as their preferred back-up, over Casey DeSmith who they sent down earlier this season.

The Leafs would have to pay a price to pry him out of the Penguins hands, but at this point, they may have to consider it. Jarry could cost a higher-round pick on top of Hutchinson or a prospect.

Ryan Miller, Anaheim Ducks

2019-20 stats: 4 W, 1 L, .906 Sv%

Ryan Miller may be old, but he’s still got it.

As I mentioned in my previous post this week, Ryan Miller is easily one of the best backups in the league who isn’t a young prospect of some sort.

At 39, he’s still putting up impressive numbers with the Ducks, maintaining a 2.76 GAA and a .912 Sv% last season. This year, he’s 4-1 on a bad Ducks team.

To top things off, his contract is pretty good. He is making $1.25 million this season, which is close to the maximum that the Toronto maple Leafs can afford without shedding salary, but his deal ends at the end of the season to become a UFA.

If he doesn’t play that great, the Leafs can let him walk next summer.

The Ducks aren’t likely going to contend this year, so acquiring him shouldn’t be too hard.

The Leafs should be seriously looking at Miller as a viable option.

Casey DeSmith, Pittsburgh Penguins

2019-20 stats (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL):  10 W, 4 L, 0.922 Sv%

Speaking of Casey DeSmith and the Penguins, he would be the Toronto Maple Leafs third best option to take over the back-up position for Michael Hutchinson.

The Penguins are rich in back-up goalies and it seems like they’ve chosen the younger Jarry over DeSmith. That doesn’t take away DeSmith’s credibility at all.

DeSmith is still a good back-up goalie, but his contract is less than ideal, making an AAV of $1.25 million per year until 2022. Unfortunately, that may be a tad expensive for the Leafs and their current salary cap situation.

He’s also 28–that’s a less than ideal situation for the Leafs.

But sometimes you don’t have a choice. If the Leafs really need a good back-up that badly, they might have to just do it.

Hey, he’d likely even be cheaper to acquire than Jarry.

Keith Kinkaid, Montreal Canadiens

2019-20 stats: 1 W, 1 L, .875 Sv%

I know, I know, Keith Kinkaid just cleared waivers, being sent down to the minors. But let’s remember he took the bullet for a mess of a Montreal team right now. Let’s also not forget he was pretty decent with the Devils.

Kinkaid has a decent history of NHL success and would cost nothing to acquire other than his salary.

At this point, Kinkaid can very well be a last resort if the Leafs can’t acquire someone better.

I wouldn’t say I want him, but I’d take him over Hutchinson.

His contract is on the more expensive side at $1.75 million, which means the Leafs would have to shed some salary too somehow.

Let’s hope it doesn’t get to this point of desperation for the Leafs.

Those are five options I think the Toronto Maple Leafs should consider, let me know who you think the Leafs should target.