Kyle Dubas Must Solve Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltending Dilemma

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It is no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the midst of a goaltending dilemma.

Jack Campbell could be lost in free agency, and Petr Mrazek’s most likely not going to be back. So who will the Toronto Maple Leafs starter be next season?

Will general manager Kyle Dubas try his hand at finding a goaltender in free agency, or will he trade for one? Dubas will be exploring all his options this month before the NHL draft and free agency period in July.

There are numerous free-agent options, but most of them will not be cheap. There could be a few available that will fit the Toronto Maple Leafs’ budget, but not many. Several goaltenders on the free-agent market are also nearing the end of their careers, so age plays a factor.

If the free agency route doesn’t work out, Dubas can explore the trade route instead. Several teams have goaltenders in their prime looking for a new place to play as their team begins a rebuild. First, Dubas will need to find a way to trade away the $3.8 million contract of Petr Mrazek.
(stats from hockeyreference.com and Salary Cap info from capfriendly.com)

It is possible that Dubas could include Mrazek in any trade made for a different goaltender, but that all depends on if the other team has any interest in him. It will not be an easy contract to move, but Dubas needs to find a way to make it happen.

Here is a look at some of the possible free agent goaltenders that Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs could look at this off-season.

Toronto Maple Leafs Possible Free Agent Goalies

Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs will have a few options to choose from in the free agency market. Most of the options available to them will be cheaper than re-signing Campbell for $5 million. Here is a look at some possible options.

Ville Husso

Ville Husso is a Finnish goaltender who spent the last two seasons with the St. Louis Blues. He is coming off a contract that paid him $750,000 a year. The 27-year-old posted a record of 25-7-6 with two shutouts in 40 games played. He finished the 2021-22 season with a .919 SV% and a 2.56 GAA. Husso has only played 57 games in the NHL, but his 34-13-7 record is pretty good. If Dubas can get Husson to sign on the dotted line for under $4 million, Husso could be Toronto’s new starter next season.
(Stats from hockeyreference.com)

Marc-Andre Fleury

Marc-Andre Fleury is 37-years-old and had a cap hit of $7 million last season, but the Toronto Maple Leafs could sign him to a much cheaper contract for one or two seasons. He could be a stop-gap until Toronto finds or develops another goaltender to take Fleury’s place.

Fleury posted a 28-23-5 record last season with four shutouts in 56 games. For most of those games, he was playing behind a horrible Chicago Blackhawks team. He ended the 2021-22 season with a .908 SV% and a 2.90 GAA.

Harri Sateri

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Harri Sateri last season but lost him on waivers to the Arizona Coyotes when they tried to bring him over from the KHL. The Finnish goaltender is 32-years-old and has bounced around the NHL and KHL throughout his career. He got drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL draft.

Toronto obviously saw something in him last season, so maybe they will circle back to him on July 17th when NHL free agency starts. Even if it’s not for the starting goaltending job, they might still look to add him as a backup.

If Dubas can’t find a free agent goaltender to fill the Leafs starting goaltender position, he might have to trade for one. Here is a look at some possible trade options.

Trading for a Goalie

Trading for a goaltender might be Toronto’s best option since free-agency almost always demands that you overpay. Trading for a goaltender offers plenty of options, but it all comes down to asking price. What is Toronto willing to give up for their next number one goaltender? Will they be looking for a veteran goaltender or someone a bit younger?

The Leafs have not been inclined to spend a lot of assets on goalies in the past, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Will Toronto be looking for a long-term or short-term solution for their number one goaltender? It is something that Dubas and his staff must consider. Here are some options Toronto could consider if they lose both Campbell and Mrazek.

Anton Forsberg

Anton Forsberg is 29-years-old and is currently playing for the Ottawa Senators. He has three years left on his contract with a cap hit of $2.75 million a season. Last season Forsberg posted a record of 22-17-4 with one shutout in 46 games. Forsberg finished the season with a .917 SV% and a 2.82 GAA.

He could be a good and inexpensive starting goaltender option for Toronto while they wait for Erik Kallgren, Joseph Woll, and Ian Scott to develop. The asking price for Forsberg might be high because of the term left on his deal, but Toronto has plenty of prospects that might interest the Senators.

Jake Allen

Jake Allen is 31-years-old and has one year left on his contract with the Montreal Canadiens. His contract has a cap hit of $2.875 million for next season. Allen would provide the Toronto Maple Leafs with a veteran goaltender who has a winning record through 353 NHL games.

Last season, Allen posted a record of 9-20-4 with two shutouts in 35 games. That record is a bit deceiving as Montreal had a horrible season and did not play well in front of him. He finished the season with a .905 SV% and a 3.30 GAA. The asking price would not be as high for Allen as for Forsberg, so it might be something Dubas looks into doing.

Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck is the most expensive option that Toronto could have this off-season. He is currently playing for the Winnipeg Jets, and they seem to be headed for a rebuild. A rebuild that could result in them trading away assets such as Hellebuyck. Last season he posted a record of 29-27-10 with four shutouts in 66 games. He posted a .910 SV% and a 2.97 GAA for a Winnipeg team that failed to make the playoffs.

The 29-year-old has two more years left on his contract with a cap hit of $6.166 million. It is too expensive of a cap hit for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dubas might have to make a trade or two first to free up more cap space, or Winnipeg will up the asking price if asked to retain some of his salary. If Kyle Dubas believes that now is the time to go all-in and is willing to sacrifice some of the team’s future, acquiring Hellebuyck is possible.

Next. Leafs UFA and RFAs: Stay or Go?. dark

No matter what happens with the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending situation, it will keep general manager Kyle Dubas busy this summer. It will be interesting to see what goaltender(s) Toronto starts the season with in October.

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