Toronto Maple Leafs: Smart Move to Not Trade for Alex Georgiev

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a smart move in not trading for goaltender Alex Georgiev, who was dealt by the New York Rangers at the draft.

Simply put, it would have been a terrible move for the Toronto Maple Leafs  to match or exceed the three draft-pick package that the Colorado Avalanche sent to the Rangers.

Beyond that though, there are still question marks as to whether Georgiev is any good, or not.

Also tying to that, he’s yet to sign a contract, so it’s not quite a finished piece of work for the current Stanley Cup champions either.

Toronto Maple Leafs Avoid Expensive Price Tag for Alex Georgiev

Alex Georgiev has been linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs on-and-off for years, with the player making himself known to Leafs fans with stellar performances every time they’re in town, it seems.

However, when the price to get him is a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 fifth-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick, it would’ve proven a little too steep for Kyle Dubas, who aren’t really in a position to bet on potential at the moment.

Now some of that dealing of draft capital is about hedging their bets moving forward; Georgiev is only 26 years-old so could be a long-term answer in the Avalanche net.

With an 0.898 save percentage last season (NHL.com), you start wondering if Alex Georgiev is the real deal and how he’ll handle an increased workload.

The other question mark remains around how much and how long he re-signs with Colorado for, assuming of course that he’s happy to do so.

What we’ve essentially seen is the reigning Stanley Cup champions taking a very measured risk and forgoing any draft capital they have this season on the back of their win this year.  The point here is that since they’ve already won, it’s a reasonable risk.  The Leafs, on the other hand, may no longer be comfortable with the same type of risk.

There is still hope in the pursuit of a new goaltender (or even renewing the incumbent) but Alex Georgiev was not the answer and they were right to focus their attention elsewhere.