The Toronto Maple Leafs do not have a great track record at having quality goaltending depth.
It is just something that has not worked out well for this team. This season is different as the Toronto Maple Leafs finally have a decent pipeline of goaltenders within the organization.
For many seasons, the Leafs have relied too very heavily on their starting goaltender. Part of the reason for that was the lack of depth behind him. If the head coach has little to no trust in the team’s backup goaltender, the starter will play close to 70 games a season.
Most teams try to limit their starting goaltender to between 60-62 games if possible. The hope is that this will keep them fresh enough for the NHL Playoffs. The last thing a team needs is for their starting goaltender to get fatigued in the playoffs.
Toronto currently has four goaltenders who can play in the NHL if needed. They also have another three in the pipeline who need more time to develop. Here is a look at all seven of them.
Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltending Depth
Frederik Andersen
Frederik Andersen has been the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs for the last four seasons. He is entering his fifth and final season under his current five-year contract. During his four years with the team, he has posted a 136-66-33 record with a 2.77 GAA and a .916 SV%.
For the most part, Andersen has been solid in the Toronto net over the last four seasons. With a quality goaltender such as Jack Campbell as his backup this season, the Leafs will not have to rely so heavily on Andersen.
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The hope is that because this is his contract season, Andersen will play some of his best hockey in hopes of maximizing how much he can ask for on his next deal. Whether that new deal is with Toronto or not remains unknown.
Jack Campbell
Campbell, along with Kyle Clifford, was traded to Toronto in February 2020 from the Los Angeles Kings. The Toronto Maple Leafs needed to add Campbell after other backup goalie options did not work out.
The team’s new backup appeared in six games for the team before the NHL shutdown the season due to the Coronavirus. In that brief time, he posted a 3-2-1 record with a 2.63 GAA and a .915 SV%. During his five seasons in the NHL, Campbell has an overall record of 23-27-6 with a 2.58 GAA and a .916 SV%
Head coach Sheldon Keefe will be hoping for Campbell to play well when called upon, so the team can give Andersen rest when needed. He could expect anywhere from 12% to 20% of the starts this season. It all depends on how long of a season the NHL will have and if Andersen gets injured.
Aaron Dell
On October 13th, Aaron Dell signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for one year at $800,000 to become the team’s third-string goaltender. Dell spent the last four seasons with the San Jose Sharks.
Having a goaltender such as Dell in the organization is a plus for the Maple Leafs. If one of Andersen or Campbell gets injured, the team can be confident in calling up Dell as he has played in 107 NHL games, with 89 of those as the starting goaltender.
Dell is most likely going to start the season with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. There is a risk that he could get claimed off waivers, but let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
Michael Hutchinson
It was a shock to most Leafs fans when it got announced that the team had signed Michael Hutchinson to a two-year deal worth $725,000 a season. The contract is a two-way deal, and Hutchinson will start the season with the Marlies.
I look at this signing as an insurance signing. If Dell gets claimed off waivers, the Leafs will still have a goaltender with NHL experience they can call up from the Marlies if Andersen or Campbell get injured.
Last season, Hutchinson appeared in 15 games for the Maple Leafs and four games with the Marlies before being traded to Colorado. During his 15 games in the Leafs net, he posted a record of 4-9-1 with a 3.66 GAA and a .866 SV%. His AHL numbers are much better, so whether he is the Marlies starting goaltender or the backup, he should do just fine.
Joseph Woll
Joseph Woll appeared in 32 games for the Marlies last season. He posted a record of 11-16-3 with a 3.75 GAA and a .880 SV%. Before the Leafs signed Dell and Hutchinson, it looked like Woll would be the Marlies starting goaltender this season.
His stats are not terrible for someone who just played their first season of pro hockey. If both Dell and Hutchinson are playing for the Marlies this season and with Toronto’s ECHL team not playing this season, Woll could either play a few games here and there for the Marlies or Toronto might loan him to another AHL team or a team in Europe.
Ian Scott
After having hip surgery, Ian Scott missed all of last season. Going into this season, Scott would be the starting goaltender for the Newfoundland Growlers in the ECHL. However, the Growlers will not be playing this season due to the ongoing Coronavirus.
I guess that the Toronto Maple Leafs organization will want Scott playing and might loan him to another team. After not playing at all last season, he needs to start playing regularly to get back into form. We could see both Scott and Woll put on loan for this season so that both can get playing time. They need the playing time to further their development.
Artur Akhtyamov
If you haven’t heard of Artur Akhtyamov before, that’s okay. He got selected by the Leafs in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft in October. He is currently playing within the Ak Bars Kazan organization in the KHL.
The 19-year-old Russian had a good season with Irbis Kazan of the MHL during the 2019-20 season. The MHL is the KHL’s version of the ECHL here in North America. He posted a record of 26-13-6 along with seven shutouts. He also posted an impressive 1.80 GAA and a .931 SV%. (stats NHL.com).
This season he has been bouncing around the Russian leagues MHL, VHL, and KHL. He is still showing some good stats, which is promising. It will be a few years before Akhtyamov plays within the Leafs organization. Let’s hope that when his time comes, he’ll be ready.