Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 10 Goalies to Replace Freddie Andersen
Rumors have swirled about the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring a goaltender to replace Freddie Andersen via trade or free agency.
It’s no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs would like to upgrade their goaltending position.
Throughout the playoffs, teams with goaltending-duo’s have been very successful. Of the four teams left in the Stanley Cup playoffs right now, three of the four teams have used multiple goaltenders throughout the post-season.
Vegas Golden Knights have had Marc-Andre Fluery and Robin Lehner. Dallas Stars have seen action from both Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin, while the New York Islanders have had Thomas Greiss and Semyon Varlamov in net.
The luxury of having multiple goaltenders start a playoff game is so important. All of those goalies listed above have not only started a playoff game for their team this post-season, but they’ve actually got the win as well.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a tricky situation right now when it comes to their goaltending. As we’ve discussed multiple times on this forum, there are many question marks around Freddie Andersen. With one year left until he becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent, does it make sense to sign him long-term, keep him with the assumption he’ll walk or trade him for another asset?
There are multiple ways to go far in the playoffs when it comes to goaltending. You can pay a number-one goalie like Tampa Bay did with Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5M cap-hit) or you can have a goaltending-duo that makes a combined $8.4 million like Vegas has done.
The Leafs don’t have the luxury of signing a yearly Vezina Trophy candidate like Vasilevskiy, so they’ll most likely have to go with the duo to stay under the cap. Andersen at $5M for one more season is good value, but after that it get’s tricky, so it may be time to move on from him when you have a great asset.
Here are 10 goaltenders who could replace Andersen via trade or free agency.
#10. Braden Holtby
Current Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
If you’re going to sign Holtby, you may as well sign Andersen because both goaltenders are very similar statistically. The only difference with Holtby is his resume.
From 2014-2017, Holtby was one of the best goaltenders on the planet. Averaging a 0.923 save percentage (Sv %) and 2.16 goals against average (GAA) for those three seasons, Holtby won the Vezina Trophy during the 2015-16 NHL season.
Besides that stretch of hockey, Holtby has been nothing but average. Even when he helped the Washington Capitals win a Stanley Cup in 2018, he was good, but he wasn’t Jonathan Quick in the playoffs-good. The Capitals were a solid hockey team but it was Barry Trotz’ defensive system that guided Washington to the Stanley Cup.
Hotlby only needed to be solid during that playoff-run for the team to be successful and that’s exactly what he did. He was extremely steady, but based off that system, there are a handful of other goalies (including Andersen) that could have guided the Capitals to a Stanley Cup.
For the price you’ll have to pay Holtby, you might as well keep Andersen.
#9. Matt Murray
Current Status: Restricted Free Agent
I’ve already shared my thoughts about Murray, but here we go again. Murray is on this list because his name has been linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a few weeks, but I don’t think it would be a great decision to sign him.
In my opinion, Murray was in the right place at the right time. Winning a Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize in hockey but as we’ve seen in the past, almost any goalie can get you there. Whether it’s Murray in Pittsburgh, Jordan Binnington in St. Louis or Antti Niemi with Chicago, you don’t need a big-name net-minder to guide you to a Stanley Cup.
That’s exactly what happened to Murray in Pittsburgh. The rookie goalie was called up from the AHL, went on the hot-streak of his life and helped guide the Penguins to a Stanley Cup. No disrespect to Murray, as the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports but he found lightning in a bottle on a team led by the greatest player of this generation (Sidney Crosby) and the team won the Cup.
In a lot of ways, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the modern Penguins. They have one of the best players in the NHL (Auston Matthews) and have a supporting cast of skill (John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner) to win a Cup. All the Leafs need is a performance like Murray and they’ll be well on their way to a long post-season run.
Murray already found lightning in a bottle once, so don’t expect that to happen again if the Leafs went down this road.
#8. Jonas Korpisalo
Current Status: Signed until 2021-22 Season ($2.8M Cap-Hit)
As a die-hard Leafs fan like many of you, this name hurts to write. Korpisalo found his inner Patrick Roy during this year’s post-season and denied Toronto from advancing. He almost did the same to the Tampa Bay Lightning but an 85-save performance in Game 1 may have fatigued him for the rest of the series.
In four starts against Toronto, Korpisalo had two shutouts and only allowed five goals. He was brilliant in every game he played and drove Leafs fans nuts. If it wasn’t for Korpisalo, the Toronto Maple Leafs could still be playing hockey right now.
So, if you can’t beat em’, join em’, right? Korpisalo was the primary starter for Columbus during the post-season, but their number-one goalie is Elvis Merzlikins, who they just signed to a two-year $8 million deal. Korpisalo only makes $2.8 million per season but the team is tight to the salary cap, so they could make him expendable to clear space.
The Leafs don’t have a ton of cap-space but a solid young goalie who only makes $2.8 million could be incredibly intriguing. Toronto could be a perfect trade-market for Columbus, as the Blue Jackets need secondary scoring and the Leafs have plenty of it to trade. Since he’s on his Entry-Level contract, you might have to include Nick Robertson in a package to get Korpisalo, but that could be worth it to have a solid goaltending duo of Jack Campbell and Korpisalo.
#7. Thomas Greiss
Current Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Greiss could very well be the most underrated goalie in the NHL. The German net-minder doesn’t get talked about that much but if you look at his body of work, it’s very solid. He’s never played more than 51 games in a season, but if the Leafs were to acquire him, he would be splitting time with Jack Campbell.
One of the biggest questions theToronto Maple Leafs have to ask themselves is how much confidence they have in Campbell. The back-up goalie and former first-round pick has a ton of upside and in a small sample size has been consistent. He’s just never played more than 31 games in a season before, so a big work-load could be a risk this season.
If the Leafs want to go with a goaltending-duo, Greiss could be a perfect candidate. Coming off a $3.3M cap-hit, the Leafs should be able to get him even cheaper, as that contract came after being the Islanders primary starting goaltender. Greiss would still have to win the starter’s role with Toronto if he was signed, but it would most likely be a 60-40 split between him and Campbell.
Greiss has a career .916 Sv% and 2.62 GAA, which is practically identical to Andersen. Besides a down 2017-18 season where his Sv% was below .900 and GAA was above 3.00, Greiss has been as consistent as anyone in the NHL.
With similar stats as Andersen, Greiss could be a steal in free agency this post-season.
#6. Marc-Andre Fleury
Current Status: Signed until 2021-22 season ($7 million cap-hit)
If the Vegas Golden Knights sign pending UFA Robin Lehner to a contract extension, Fleury will instantly become expendable. With a $7 million cap-hit, the three-time Stanley Cup champion would have to be traded to clear space.
Fleury has had a solid career, but for whatever reason when his team makes a long playoff-run, he finds himself on the bench. Fleury won his first Stanley Cup as the primary starter with Pittsburgh, but after that Matt Murray stole the show and helped lead the Penguins to glory.
Even after helping the Vegas Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup Finals berth in their inaugural season, Fleury has become Lehner’s back-up, as the Knights are currently in the Western Conference Finals.
Fluery has nobody to blame besides himself when it comes to the back-up role. He had every opportunity to be the starter for Vegas this season and for Pittsburgh a few years ago, but couldn’t perform to his best ability. Although he’s been a good goalie his entire career, the three Stanley Cup championships may be hiding the fact that he’s overrated.
The former first-overall pick has never been a candidate for the Vezina Trophy and only has four NHL All-Star appearances in 14 seasons. If the Leafs want Campbell to push the overrated Fleury to the bench, then they should trade for him. Although this is a sexy-name to trade for, the Leafs shouldn’t even think about acquiring Fleury.
#5. Anton Khudobin
Current Status: Signed until 2020-21 season ($2.5 million cap-hit)
Ben Bishop and Khudobin split time starting this season, but Khudobin has been the primary starter during the playoffs. The 34-year-old has bounced around the NHL but has been brilliant over the past three seasons.
In combination with Bishop, Dallas has had one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL over the past two seasons. Although a 1A and 1B goaltending system doesn’t work everywhere, it’s been a blessing for the Stars.
Khudobin hasn’t been amazing in the post-season thus far, but he’s done enough to help the Stars reach the Western Conference Finals. In 15 starts, he has a .914 Sv% and 2.74 GAA. Both of those stats are actually worse than his career averages, so even though Khudobin is performing a little worse than his typical form, he’s helping his team win.
The Stars offense has been the main reason why the team has reached the West Finals, but Khudobin has been clutch at times, helping steal Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against Vegas with a 25-save shutout.
If the Leafs were to pursue Khudobin, they’d be getting an inexpensive goaltender for one season with hopes that he and Campbell would compete for the starting job. The Leafs need to allocate the cap-space they have to improve their defense, so trading for Khudobin could be a fun one-year experiment, hoping that he could perform at his best heading into a contract season.
#4. Darcy Kuemper
Current Status: Signed until 2021-22 season ($4.5 million cap-hit)
The Arizona Coyotes have Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta signed for a combined $8.75 million next season. Although that’s less than what some goaltenders make on their own, the Coyotes could make Kuemper expendable if the price is right.
The Coyotes desperately need scoring help. Although they traded for Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall, Kessel was a shell of himself this season and Hall could walk in free agency. Daily Faceoff ranked the Coyotes with the 23rd best first-line and 26th best second-line, so the team could really use some help up-front.
The Toronto Maple Leafs would be a great trade partner for Arizona for a number of reasons. The Coyotes currently have Marian Hossa on their books at $5.275M , and although it doesn’t account to their salary cap, they’re paying for him. For a team that has struggled financially over the years, I’m sure Arizona would love that off their books, while the Leafs can always afford to take on a contract like that.
Similar to what they did with David Clarkson and Nathan Horton, the Leafs would be more than happy to pay Hossa’s contract if it meant upgrading their goaltending. Kuemper has been a steady goaltender for the last few years with similar stats to Andersen, so for $500K less it may be worth trading for.
Also, the fact that Kuemper has two years left on his deal instead of one is huge based on how the Leafs cap clears significantly in the 2022-23 season.
#3. Tristan Jarry
Current Status: Restricted Free Agent
The Penguins have a goaltending debacle because they can only afford to keep one of their net-minders right now. It’s either going to be two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray or up-and-comer Tristan Jarry.
All signs point to the Penguins keeping Jarry, but if the right offer came it’s way, general manager Jim Rutherford has been known to shock the world. Jarry was always the better prospect than Murray but as we talked about before, Murray found lightning in a bottle and helped guide the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
Jarry has all the makings of being a franchise goaltender and the Leafs should try to acquire him. At only 25-years-old, Jarry was an unbelievable junior goaltender and has been slowly working his way towards the NHL. Everyone knows that goaltenders need time to improve, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s a top-five NHL goalie in the next few years.
Although his stats aren’t any better than Andersen (.915 Sv%, 2.59 GAA), his age and potential contract is intriguing. It’s possible that you could get Jarry for less than Andersen’s price-tag on a four or five year deal since he’s an RFA this off-season. The one issue though is that the Leafs would have to trade a few assets to Pittsburgh in order to acquire him.
They already made a deal that involved Kasperi Kapanen, so someone like Nick Robertson would have to be included in this deal for it to work. It would be hard for the Leafs to acquire Jarry but if there’s a trade that works, the Leafs should make it.
#2. Jacob Markstrom
Current Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
Markstrom is the ideal goalie for the Leafs to pursue. And, if it actually happened, Vancouver fans would hate Toronto even more than they currently do.
At 6-foot-6, his size gives him a huge advantage and he’s proved that he can handle a number-one goaltender workload over the past few years. Even on a rebuilding team in Vancouver, Markstrom has been a very bright spot and he’s one of the reasons why the team had so much success making the playoffs this year.
Although it seemed like a lock that Markstrom would re-sign in Vancouver, the unbelievable play of Thatcher Demko may have changed their mind. After Markstrom was unfit to play, Demko made 128 saves on 130 shots in four appearance and almost single-handily helped the Canucks advance to the Western Conference Finals.
It was a brilliant performance by Demko, but the Vegas Golden Knights were too superior for Vancouver and narrowly defeated them in Game 7. With Demko signed to a $1M contract next season, the Canucks could look to ride him and use their cap-space to upgrade their team elsewhere, leaving Markstrom as a free agent.
Like many of the goalies on this list, Markstrom has similar numbers to Andersen, but he has great potential to improve. The price-tag may be high with a bidding war during free agency, but the Leafs should seriously consider signing Markstrom.
#1. Robin Lehner
Current Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
If the Vegas Golden Knights can’t trade Marc-Andre Fleury, then they’re probably not going to be able to afford Lehner. The 29-year-old goaltender from Sweden has been marvelous over the past few seasons.
Although he’s somehow played on three different teams in two years, he’s had a .927 Sv% and 2.20 GAA during that time-frame. It feels like no matter what team Lehner goes to, he fits in perfectly and performs at a high-level. His current age indicates that the best years are still to come for Lehner, so if Vegas doesn’t re-sign him, the Leafs should make a run at him.
Funny enough, the Leafs are actually already paying Lehner $1.1M after retaining part of his contract from a trade this season, so hopefully he can stay on their payroll. Lehner’s current cap-hit is $5M and it wouldn’t be shocking if he signed a contract that paid him $7M per season for the next five years.
Lehner is proving to be one of the most reliable goaltenders in the NHL and is about to get paid, but would it make sense for the Leafs to use any cap-space left towards him? If the team doesn’t upgrade their defense, can Lehner stand on his head enough times to guide the Leafs to victory? Is the Leafs offense potent enough that Lehner can perform average and still get more than enough goal-support?
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In a cap-world, these are the types of questions that Leafs management will be asking themselves daily, because a number-one goaltender is important, but structured defense may be more crucial. We’ll see what free agency brings, but in a perfect world, Lehner would be the most ideal candidate to replace Andersen this off-season.