Toronto Maple Leafs 2021-22 Defenseman and Goalie Grades

Erik Kallgren:

Erik Kallgren is a 25 year-old Swede who was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in 2015. He was taken in the 7th round 183rd overall.

Kallgren came out of nowhere last year to fill in for Campbell and Mrazek in the Leafs net. He did well enough that he was a leading candidate to be the back-up this year, until the Leafs signed Ilya Samsonov.

Kallgren should start for the Marlies and provide a decent 3rd or 4th string option in case of injury.

He only played in 14 games last season and finished with a record of 8-4-1. He had a .919 save percentage or better in five of his eight wins, though he was crushed in his losses and his overall save percentage is under .900.

The skill is there, but not the consistency. Hopefully, he will build off the experience and be better prepared for his next call up.

One of the more noticeable things about Kallgren is his ability to remain calm. He doesn’t get too high when he wins and doesn’t get too low when he loses. The old saying “he’s got ice in his veins” comes to mind when describing his calm demeanor.

Kallgren doesn’t have great numbers, but any time you can take a no-name goalie and win 65% of the points available to you when he is filling in for your supposed star goalie, you can’t complain too much.