3 Goalies That Will Help the Toronto Maple Leafs Win the Cup

The Toronto Maple Leafs need  a  starting goaltender to compete for a Stanley Cup next season.

When you look at the Toronto Maple Leafs roster, they have firepower, but do they have enough in net to be able to compete for a championship? Year-after-year, they continue to lose in the First Round, but how much of that has to do with goaltending?

When you look back at this year’s season, goaltending was a problem, but it was mostly due to health.

Jack Campbell started the majority of games, but he also went through some injury struggles. However, the biggest issue was with Petr Mrazek’s health.

Mrazek was supposed to be the 1B to Campbell’s 1A and was supposed to provide between 30-40 starts and help Campbell rest. Instead, Campbell played too much and it probably was a reason why he suffered injuries down the stretch.

After an incredible start to the season that helped him nod his first NHL All-Star appearance, his game struggled and a lot of that had to do with the amount of games he was playing. Being a starting goaltender for the first time in his career is much different than being a back-up, so it was a huge lesson learned and he should only get better from there.

Here are three goaltenders that would give the Toronto Maple Leafs a chance at winning a Stanley Cup next season:

No. 1: Jordan Binnington

The St. Louis Blues have a big question to ask themselves this offseason: “Do they ride with Binnington, who helped them win a Stanley Cup, or re-sign Ville Husso, who’s a UFA?”

Either way, it doesn’t look like the Blues will be able to afford both, so one of them is bound to get traded or walk into free agency.

If the Blues keep Husso, the Leafs should immediately call the Blues to inquire about Binnington. Not only is he a former Stanley Cup winning goaltender, but he’s a local-kid who grew up loving the Leafs.

To make things even better, his $6M contract is perfectly affordable for Toronto.

Binnington grew up loving Curtis Joseph, so being able to play for the team he idolized would be a dream come true

. A few years ago, Binnington even copied the famous “Cujo” mask, as Joseph also played for the Blues early in his career.

With five years of cap-security, Binnington would be a great option for the Leafs and would definitely give them a fantastic opportunity to win every night.

No. 2: Marc-Andre Fleury

Even at 37-years-old, Fleury has a lot of game left.

He’s only one year removed from winning a Vezina Trophy and with five Stanley Cup Finals appearances, Fleury would bring a wealth of experience and reliability that the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t had in quite some time.

It’s been almost 20 years since the team has had a Hall of Fame goaltender and if monitored correctly, Fleury could be the difference-maker in the playoffs next year.

Fleury’s contract will be the biggest concern heading into next season, as it’ll be interesting to see how much money he’s looking for.

If he just wants to win, he may take a cheaper contract to play on a better team (like Toronto), or he may just be looking for another big pay-day, as he already has three Stanley Cup rings.

If Fleury still has a desire to win and to play in a Canadian city for the first time in his career, then he should seriously consider playing in Toronto, because the Leafs have a lot of similarities as his old Pittsburgh Penguins team did during their dynasty.