The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t need to trade for a goalie right now.
Even though both of their starting goalies are injured, and they currently have two AHL goalies in net, the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t need a netminder.
The Ilya Samsonov injury was one of the weirdest injuries I’ve ever seen from a goalie. For some reason, Samsonov found himself looking like a beer-league goalie by the way he moved to save Brad Marchand’s penalty shot, and as such, it resulted in a knee injury.
As of right now, we know that Samsonov will be out more than a week. That could stretch into two weeks, or it could stretch to six months. We have no idea right now but if I’m the Leafs, I wouldn’t be worried, yet.
Goaltending hasn’t really been an issue for this team thus far. In 10 of their 13 games, they’ve allowed three or less goals in regulation. For a team that has the reigning Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy on it and the league’s best right-winger, they should be able to score three goals to match that most nights.
Toronto has been able to match the opponent most nights, but their offense is struggling thus far. They’re 21st in Goals For, which is unacceptable for this team.
However, as previously mentioned, they’ve been able to get away with the offensive insufficiencies because of their defense/goaltending. Within the NHL, the Leafs are eighth in goals allowed per game, which is pretty impressive, especially since Matt Murray’s only played one game, and Erik Kallgren has played four.
the Toronto Maple Leafs Don’t Need to Trade For a Goalie, Yet
Keefe mentioned that “Murray’s return is on the horizon” which is exciting. I know he didn’t look great in his Leafs debut but that’s a one-game sample size. During preseason he looked spectacular, so hopefully we see more of that goaltender than the one against the Montreal Canadiens.
Sure, we can’t expect the world from Murray, but if Samsonov is going to be out for significant time, he’ll need to take the rock and run with it. For a former two-time Stanley Cup winner, he should be more than capable, however if he falters, then we can start talking about a goalie swap.
Despite having two AHL goaltenders on the roster now, there’s some optimism about the most recent call-up.
Most fans are probably unfamiliar with Keith Petruzzelli, but I’m been pumping his tires all year.
The 6-foot-5 goalie has all of the skillsets you need to be a starter in the NHL and this could be the opportunity he needs to prove himself. He’s only 23-years-old, so I think he’s still one or two years away, but everything happens for a reason, so maybe his time is now?
He has a perfect 6-0 record with the Marlies with a .922 SV% and 2.31 GAA and has been a rockstar everywhere he’s played. As a former Hobey Baker Trophy nominee for his stellar performance in the NCAA, look for Pertuzzelli to shine in hockey’s best league this week.
Before we yell at the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a deal, let’s see what Pertuzzelli and Erik Kallgren can do and understand more of the timeline on Murray and Samsonov. Although it feels like that netminder position needs a huge upgrade, they may have more depth than we think.